Inmate Apologizes for Murder, Is Executed in First 1-Drug Injection
After apologizing for murdering a 22-year-old woman in 1991, a death row inmate was executed in Ohio today in a historic one-drug lethal injection that the director of state prisons described as problem-free.
Kenneth Biros, who was in his early 50s, died in about 10 minutes once thiopental sodium began flowing into his arm at about 11:37 a.m., according to the Associated Press.
It took the execution team approximately 20 minutes to complete the injection process. The execution today follows a failed two-hour effort to execute another inmate in September that helped prompt the state’s decision to switch from a three-drug cocktail to the one-drug anesthetic method used on Biros.
This is the first time the one-drug method, which is akin to the manner in which pets and other animals are euthanized, has been tried in any state, reports the New York Times. Biros was put to death after the U.S. Supreme Court refused this morning to intervene.
Critics contend that the three-drug cocktail, which is used in a number of states, can be painful. They also object to the one-drug method, however, saying that it has not been adequately considered by state officials, as due process requires, the Times notes.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Despite Inmate’s Efforts to Help, Executioners Couldn’t Find Suitable Vein”
ABAJournal.com: “6th Circuit Stays Execution of Ohio Inmate Due to Lethal Injection Concerns”
Plain Dealer: “Federal appeals court clears the way for Kenneth Biros’ execution”
Reuters: “Ohio executes inmate with untried injection method”
