A federal judge has extended a temporary moratorium on executions in Ohio until Jan. 15, 2015 to allow more time for the state to implement a new lethal-injection procedure.
U.S. District Judge Gregory Frost’s order will delay four scheduled executions in the state using a new lethal-injection cocktail that’s come under scrutiny in recent months.
In May, Frost halted all Ohio executions until this month in the wake of the controversial execution of convicted killer Dennis McGuire in January.
McGuire’s family filed a federal lawsuit after he was seen gasping, choking and clenching his fists while taking an unexpectedly long 25 minutes to die from a never-before-tried lethal-injection cocktail of midazolam, a sedative, and hydromorphone, a narcotic painkiller.
A state review concluded that McGuire suffered no pain during his execution, but officials said they’ll increase the dosage of the drugs for future executions.
Ohio’s new execution protocol calls for 50 mg each of midazolam and hydromorphone, the same dosage of the drugs employed in a nearly two-hour-long execution in Arizona last month.
Frost issued an order Friday extending the moratorium “in light of the continuing need for discovery and necessary preparations related to the adoption and implementation of the new execution protocol.”
The next scheduled execution in Ohio had been set for Sept. 18, when Summit County killer Ronald Phillips would have been put to death.
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