In one of my previous articles, I just barely touched on the botched execution of Clayton Lockett. In this article, I will go more into depth about his botched execution. On June 3rd, 1999 Clayton Lockett committed a horrific crime. Lockett shot and killed a teen named Stephanie Neiman and then buried her in a shallow grave with the help of two other people. Lockett claimed the reason why he shot her is because she would not keep quiet and simply would not stand down. Lockett shot young Stephanie a total of two times. He shot her once, then the gun jammed and once it was fixed, he proceeded to shoot her another time. Shawn Mathis, an accomplice, then buried her in a shallow grave even though she was reported to still be alive at the time. The three men also beat one of Neiman’s friends who was with her at the time and raped another one of her friends, they beat a man named Bobby Bornt who lived in a nearby residence that they were planning to rob originally, and they beat his nine-month child who was also in the residence.
There is not much thought that Lockett could possibly be innocent, since he confessed to the crime and had witnesses. Lockett most definitely committed this crime. When he confessed, it was reported that he had no sympathy and could really care less that he killed someone. Obviously, Lockett was sent to death. He served fifteen years in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary until he was executed in 2014. But the execution of Lockett was not swift and easy. His execution was far from that.
Things were wrong from the get-go. The paramedic that was assigned to insert the drugs into Lockett’s body was nervous because she had never used midazolam in an execution. Midazolam has been banned in some states due to being tied to botched executions. They decided to use midazolam despite the issues associated with it and mixed it with two other drugs. It was reported that the saline was packed in bags instead of syringes and the tubing was completely wrong. But they went ahead and carried on anyways.
The paramedic started off with inserting the needle into Lockett’s arm, but forgot to tape it down so it slipped out of his arm. She tried to re-insert it, but was unsuccessful. She then decided to try a vein in his bicep, but that did not work either. A doctor then stepped in to try for himself to see if he could strike a vein. He proceeded to try the jugular, which isn’t quite normal when trying to execute someone. When the doctor was attempting the jugular, the same paramedic tried his arm three more times: but failed. They then tried Lockett’s foot, but that also failed. Finally, they tried the femoral vein in Lockett’s groin which they had to use a different needle for. But of course, they did not have the proper needle to use on the groin. They had a much shorter needle that they decided to use. It should be noted, that these drugs have never been used together. They have never been tested.
The tube was filled with midazolam and was prepared to be pumped into Lockett’s femoral vein. It started to flow, but then the needle dislodged. A small dosage made its way into the bloodstream, but unbeknownst to them most of it was distributed into his tissue. Lockett was reported to still be alert, but after some moments passed it was declared that he was unconscious. Then, a paralytic called vercuronium bromide was pumped into Lockett. As it was being loaded into Lockett, the executioner noticed that it was somewhat difficult to push the syringe. The reason why it was harder to push the syringe is because he was loading the drugs into the tissue, which he didn’t know at the time so he said he just pushed the syringe harder. Lockett started to moan audibly.
The third drug was then administered. Potassium chloride was pumped through the IV into Lockett’s body. Keep in mind, these drugs were still being pushed into his tissue, rather than his vein. The second drug used, the paralytic, obviously paralyzed Lockett. It is very possible that Lockett probably knew what was going on, but couldn’t move or speak since it wasn’t distributed into his body correctly. A little while after the third drug (the drug that is supposed to kill you) was given to Lockett, Lockett began to move. Everyone in the room was in shock. Lockett’s heart was supposed to stop due to the potassium chloride, but it kept on beating. Lockett’s head rose as far as the restraints would allow and he tried to speak but could not form words. His head rolled back and forth. Finally, Lockett was able to say, “Man.” The doctor grew very concerned and lifted the sheet that covered Lockett’s groin. He discovered a bump the size of a tennis ball had formed on his groin. This is where the drugs were administered and had collected in the tissue.
It got even worse. Lockett started struggling more and was trying to get off the table. The doctor then inserted another needle into Lockett’s left femoral vein. Blood squirted all over the doctor and it was assumed that he had hit the artery. But the doctor thought it would be alright and loaded the drugs into the artery. Lockett’s heart rate began to drop, but he was still mumbling. The doctor and paramedic decided to stop what they were doing and halted the execution. Lockett ended up passing away from a heart attack.
During all that time, Lockett was still alive and dying very slowly. Some would say he deserved to die, especially this way since he took a life. I find this very debatable. I am in no way condoning what Lockett did. He committed this crime and was guilty. What he did was wrong, and should not go unpunished. But obviously in the United States, we have people carrying out executions that have no idea what they’re doing. Equipment isn’t set up correctly. Trying to find a vein is a guessing game. Drugs are being mixed together and used without being tested.
Is this what America has come to? Morally, this makes us no better than the murderers themselves when we execute someone. In my opinion, it teaches no lesson to the perpetrator and gives no chance of some sort of rehabilitation. Of course, some offenders are not able to be rehabilitated. But if the process we have now is not working and there is no effort to make it work, we should do away with it. There’s already so much pain and suffering in this world, there’s no need to add more for our temporary satisfaction.
