Okla. inmate died from lethal drugs

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma death row inmate who writhed, moaned and clenched his teeth before he was pronounced dead about 43 minutes after his execution began succumbed to the lethal drugs he was administered, not a heart attack, an autopsy report released Thursday said.

Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton had said inmate Clayton Lockett died from a heart attack several minutes after he ordered the execution stopped. But the autopsy report performed for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said all three execution drugs were found throughout Lockett's system. A medical examiner declared that the cause of death was "judicial execution by lethal injection."

Oklahoma put executions on hold after Lockett gasped and writhed against his restraints for several minutes after his April execution began. Lockett was poked several times as medical technicians tried to find a vein before settling in using one at his groin.

Gov. Mary Fallin ordered public safety officials to review the events surrounding Lockett's death, including state execution procedures that had been changed in the weeks before Lockett's execution. The state Court of Criminal Appeals agreed not to schedule executions for six months. Three are set for mid-November and early December.

Alex Weintz, a spokesman for Fallin, said the autopsy report will be part of the DPS review.

"We suspect they are in the final stages of that process," Weintz said.

He said Fallin still supports the death penalty despite the problems encountered in Lockett's execution.

"But we want our executions to be successful," Weintz said. "She has asked DPS to make recommendations on what possible updates to the protocols we can pursue."

The autopsy report details Lockett's cause of death and does not include recommendations about the state's execution protocols.

Under the procedures, Oklahoma used the sedative midazolam for the first time. The drug was also used in lengthy attempts to execute an Ohio inmate in January and an Arizona prisoner last month. Each time, witnesses said the inmates appeared to gasp for air moments after their executions began and continued to labor for air before being pronounced dead.

Patton, the director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, called for a complete "review/revision" to the execution protocols in Oklahoma after the Lockett execution and said he was willing to adopt other states' protocols to "ensure the Oklahoma protocol adopts proven standards."

Among his concerns were that the state's current protocol puts all the responsibility and decision-making in the hands of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary warden, who is responsible for overseeing executions. Patton, who came to Oklahoma from the Arizona Department of Corrections, didn't specifically mention the drug midazolam or any other formula approved for use in the Oklahoma death chamber.