Post by MXB on Jul 31, 2007 3:24:36 GMT -5
Florida Judge Orders Halt to Executions Over Lethal Injection Problems
Judge Carven Angel of Florida's Circuit Court has ordered a halt to executions because of concerns that the state's new lethal injection protocols do not adequately address problems exposed in the state's last execution.
The new protocols were created after Florida's botched execution of Angel Diaz in December 2006. The execution took more than 30 minutes after two tries, and then-governor Jeb Bush ordered a review of the process.
Judge Angel's oral order to stop executions came on Sunday, July 22, after he abruptly shut down a week-long hearing in which defense attorneys for Ian Lightbourne and dozens of other clients on death row were challenging the new protocols.
The Florida Supreme Court appointed Angel to hear Lightbourne's case, which began in June. His order could halt all executions through the end of the year. Gov. Charlie Crist had previously signed a death warrant for Mark Schwab for November 15th.
Judge Carven Angel of Florida's Circuit Court has ordered a halt to executions because of concerns that the state's new lethal injection protocols do not adequately address problems exposed in the state's last execution.
The new protocols were created after Florida's botched execution of Angel Diaz in December 2006. The execution took more than 30 minutes after two tries, and then-governor Jeb Bush ordered a review of the process.
Judge Angel's oral order to stop executions came on Sunday, July 22, after he abruptly shut down a week-long hearing in which defense attorneys for Ian Lightbourne and dozens of other clients on death row were challenging the new protocols.
The Florida Supreme Court appointed Angel to hear Lightbourne's case, which began in June. His order could halt all executions through the end of the year. Gov. Charlie Crist had previously signed a death warrant for Mark Schwab for November 15th.