OKLAHOMA (USA): EXECUTIONS POSTPONED SO STATE CAN PROCURE LETHAL DRUGS

March 18, 2014: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has vacated 2 upcoming execution dates and moved both to April, to allow the Department of Corrections time to procure two of the drugs it needs for lethal injections. State officials revealed Monday that they were having trouble obtaining the approved drugs for the 1st 2 stages of Oklahoma's 3-part lethal injection cocktail.
“The Attorney General's attestations give this Court no confidence that the State will be able to procure the necessary drugs before the scheduled executions are to be carried out. Based on this new information, we find the execution dates for Appellants Lockett and Warner must be vacated and reset in order to allow the state of Oklahoma time to procure the necessary execution drugs or to adopt a new execution protocol," the decision stated. Death-row inmate Clayton Derrell Lockett was supposed to executed Thursday, but is now scheduled for April 22. Inmate Charles Frederick Warner was set to die March 27, and now has an execution date of April 29.
The Attorney General's Office had revealed in a brief filed Monday that the DOC has had trouble obtaining two of the drugs needed: pentobarbital and vecuronium bromide. State corrections officials have been told that pentobarbital remains in short supply and vecuronium bromide is now "difficult, if not impossible, even for hospitals and medical professionals to obtain." The state intends to pursue "any and all leads" to obtain the lethal injection drugs and proceed with the executions as planned, according to the Attorney General's Office. (Source: Tulsa World, Colorado Independent, 18/03/2014)