I get it that it’s a standard liberal trope to oppose the death penalty and then for conservatives to say that’s soft on crime, and by all means, Joseph Rudolph Wood III did some awful, awful things for which he should be punished, but regardless of any of that, if we can’t actually manage to execute people properly or with drugs that can be disclosed, it’s hard for me to understand how this sort of thing is ok:
The Wednesday afternoon execution of convicted murderer Joseph Rudolph Wood III took nearly two hours, confirming concerns that had been raised by his attorneys about a controversial drug used by the state of Arizona.
Wood remained alive at Arizona’s state prison in Florence long enough for his public defenders to file an emergency motion for a stay of execution with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, after the process began at 1:53 p.m. The motion noted that Wood “has been gasping and snorting for more than an hour” after being injected with a lethal cocktail of drugs.
According to Arizona Republic reporter Michael Kiefer, who witnessed the execution, lines were run into each of Wood’s arms. After Wood said his last words, he was unconscious by 1:57 p.m. At about 2:05, he started gasping, Kiefer said.
“I counted about 660 times he gasped,” Kiefer said. “That petered out by 3:33. The death was called at 3:49.”
“I just know it was not efficient. It took a long time,” Kiefer said.
Another reporter who witnessed the execution, Troy Hayden, said it was “very disturbing to watch … like a fish on shore gulping for air.”
An Arizona Republic interview with Michael Kiefer is below the cut.
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2014.
Michael Kiefer says he doesn’t think that combination will be used again. What combination is that? The state won’t say. It could be Drano.
It was still successful. But, a slug from a .44 is much faster, and much less expensive.
Dano:
Glad someone said it. It needs to be said.
It sounds like the two of you, who most probably profess your allegiance to God, would be the first ones to pull the trigger of that .44. How does that make you a better person than the executed? Big talk. What macho men you both are. God help us.
I kinda like this.
“The guillotine is probably best but seems inconsistent with our national ethos. And the electric chair, hanging and the gas chamber are each subject to occasional mishaps. The firing squad strikes me as the most promising,” wrote Alex Kozinski, the 9th Circuit’s chief judge. “Using drugs meant for individuals with medical needs to carry out executions is a misguided effort to mask the brutality of executions by making them look serene and peaceful — like something any one of us might experience in our final moment.”
the comment being better than the executed is bs if it was your family member so cruelly killed would your view be different I am sure it may be this animal got what he deserved did he humanely kill this woman doubt it he should have suffered longer if you ask me I hope it was painful and terrifying now he knows how his victim felt
What makes Americans so hypocritical. All of you God fearing men evidentially never listened to his words: Thou shalt not Kill. I didn’t note any exception for the state. What a blood thirsty lot we are.
Well, well Danny Gallardo. I happen to watch the press conference after the execution. The families of the victims had a lot to say. They were glad to see him killed. His crime was horrific.
And you don’t know anything about me. Even if I believe in the Judeo-Christian god. Talk about making generalizations–but you Progressive Liberal types tend to do that.
The guy injecting the drugs does the same as pulling a trigger.
Utah had the best idea. 7-8 guys with M-1 Garand Rifles. Works every time. Quick and no mix-ups. Gary Gilmore didn’t have any 2 hour experiences.
When we put our dog down at the Vet, it didn’t take but a minute. What’s the difference if we treat them like animals up until their death, we might as well treat them that way all the way through.
I know people who are not neutral on the death penalty: some definitely accept it as proper justice and others completely oppose it as unjust, even traveling to demonstrate at the prison. But – I think more than anyone with a political or conscientious position, it comes down to the victim’s family and how they perceive justice. In this case, the family spoke on TV news, and they were unequivocal – they were in favor no matter what method was used. Other families might not, but not these folks. I would not presume to argue otherwise with them.
As we act, let us not become the evil we deplore.
Interesting points all, especially about the families. It reminds me of the story not too long ago out of Iran where the Mother of the victim embraced the accused as he was about to be hanged and forgave him. We can all be hateful to each other here or we can truly consider letting the families have the final say.
“he should have suffered longer if you ask me I hope it was painful and terrifying now he knows how his victim felt”
Ah, the old ‘an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’? Perhaps we should do to them whatever they did to their victims. If they rape and torture before killing their victim, we should rape & torture them before killing them? Do you know why we don’t do that? Because we’re supposed to better than the criminals.
Are we as a society any better off this morning than we were yesterday morning, with Joseph Wood no longer drawing breath? Did we undo any of the things he did?
“Thou shalt not Kill. I didn’t note any exception for the state. What a blood thirsty lot we are”
Mr. Kelly, the original translation is “Thou shalt not commit murder”, and as for the asinine “blood thirsty”, remember the “eye for an eye” thing?
I was called for jury duty 25 years ago and was chosen as part of a large group to sit in this guy’s courtroom. The jury box filled up quickly and I am now very glad that I was excused. With no knowledge of the crime, I recall Wood was all cleaned up and did not look like a killer at all, but he did look scared. Although not at all evident, the victims’ family must have been there too. They also must have remained focused on the verdict for all these years since. We are all of us far, far removed from their 25 year ordeal.
bring back the electric chair !!!!
There is no easy answer to this. There have been victim’s family members who have urged clemency and those, like yesterday, who see the killing of murderer of their loved ones as justice long overdue. This man was clearly guilty of murdering two people. He deserves severe punishment for his actions. At the same time, I doubt that any of us want the state to be able to kill someone without going through a thorough process to make sure the accused is guilty and that the sentence is appropriate. The state’s ability to kill SHOULD be strictly limited. Any power can be, and will be, abused by the corrupt and incompetent. But let’s also be honest. We, as a society, kill thousands every year when police officers use lethal force to protect themselves and others. We have, with few dissenters, decided long ago that lethal force is an appropriate domestic remedy in certain circumstances. And the federal government will kill many people this year as part of its foreign policy. Perhaps part of the question should be framed in this way: Should the state be killing people it has already incapacitated by locking them up? And another part of the question might be, are we, as a society, willing to use capital punishment when there is a chance that a certain percentage, albeit small, of those condemned are going to be innocent? And there’s the cost. The state of Arizona spent a large amount of money housing Woods in a super-maximum security, paying for his legal defense and carrying out his execution in a “humane” manner. But the humanity of the act is more for the witnesses than for condemned. The person who suggests the guillotine as the best method is right about its efficacy. Hanging, when done properly, is also quick. It was ended as a means of execution in AZ after Eva Dugan’s head was ripped off in front of the witnesses. It’s unlikely that American witnesses would be comfortable watching a beheading, by hanging or guillotine.
So many things to say:
1. I am one of those victim’s family members who is opposed to the death penalty. I take the Constitution at its word: no cruel and unusual punishment shall be inflicted. And I don’t believe any government should be in the business of taking the lives of its citizens, but ESPECIALLY not in a system that is so heavily prejudiced toward people who are poor and people of color.
2. As a family member I believe it is easier to heal if a life without possibility of parole sentence is handed out immediately. I do not have to relive the event repeatedly for years and years and I do not have to feel guilt for taking the life of another human being.
3. I’m sure there are victims of other crimes who do not agree with the sentences handed down. That is not how the justice system works in this country. We do not let (biased) victims determine what an appropriate punishment is.
4. No matter what my beliefs are about the death penalty in general, the CURRENT SYSTEM ISN’T WORKING. At a minimum, executions should be suspended until they can figure out the drug issue. If the state cannot obtain the combination that was used “humanely” in the past, then the state is just going to have to wait.
Eliminate the death penalty.
1. There is no evidence it works as a deterrent.
2. It is more expensive than life in prison without parole.
3. There is no ability to correct the mistakes that are inevitable in the criminal justice system.
4. Changing social ideas about what is cruel and unusual make it closer and closer to being unconstitutional.
Most Americans are too squeamish to do executions properly. Firing squad or guillotine (or garotte) are infallible but messy.
“Beware of all those in whom the urge to punish is strong” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Vengance ain’t justice.
To those who want to eliminate the death penalty for killers such as this, I could only give that thought consideration if you can guarantee that they will never get out. Look at Manson still holding out hope for parole! Also, what about the threat of escape–longtime Arizonans will remember the Tison/Greenawalt escape and what they did after their escape. What is even more galling in Wood’s case is his smirk to the victims’ family and asking God to forgive them!? He deserved what he got and so much more.
Funny, after a person comets murder for no reason at all, that person will get more rights then the person he murdered. We used to hang people for stealing a horse, we now glorify them and the more people they kill the more we glorify them. We have become so weak and dumbed down that we will let the killers go free Remember “The Menendez brothers murder their parents” the first jury could not reach a verdict because a few jurors said they were orphans now, Really, and then bitch and mown about it always forgetting about the victim and how they were killed.
Think of it as a late-term abortion then you should be just fine with it.
F this piece of human garbage.And all others to come.And to those who say the death penalty is no deterrent ,this comes from the fact that they know they’ll sit on death row for 15,20+ years. Make sure they leave the planet in under two and you’ll see those numbers change.
Clifford-did Lyle & Eric kill their parents?Yes, they did.Did they do it for the money like the prosecution claimed? Not a chance in hell. They were railroaded.
The death penalty is the only sure fire deterrent. Those executed have never committed additional crimes.
Research it!