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Records released Thursday provided few answers as to why and how Oklahoma’s execution of inmate Clayton Lockett went awry.
A Texas medical examiner’s autopsy of Lockett’s body after his botched execution found the inmate died “as the result of judicial execution by lethal injection.”
Autopsy results were released Thursday, nearly four months after Lockett’s execution April 29. Witnesses at the execution, including a Tulsa World reporter, described him as mumbling and writhing on the gurney after he had been declared unconscious by a combination of drugs Oklahoma had never used before.
The autopsy cites evidence on Lockett’s body that the execution team had difficulty starting his IV, taking about 45 minutes. It notes at least 14 needle marks and incisions showing multiple attempts to start an IV in his elbows, groin, neck, jugular and foot.
The autopsy does not summarize the findings of included toxicology tests or offer any judgment about whether Lockett received proper doses of midazolam, the drug used to anesthetize and sedate him.
Attorney Dale Baich, who represents a group of death row prisoners, said: “The state-sponsored autopsy confirms two things we already knew and fails to address the bigger questions for which we still don’t have answers.
“What this initial autopsy report does not appear to answer is what went wrong during Mr. Lockett’s execution, which took over 45 minutes, with witnesses reporting he writhed and gasped in pain,” Baich said in a written statement.
State officials offered no comment on the documents Thursday, other than to say an investigation would be released next week.
Lockett’s step-mother, Ladonna Hollins, said she did not expect the autopsy or other reports to contain answers.
“I really am not surprised. That’s all I have to say. There’s no end to it … It’s a coverup and it will be exposed in its own time.”
The Department of Corrections also released official logs Thursday of the days and hours leading up to Lockett’s execution. The logs do not include observations about Lockett’s unusual behavior during his execution, or any details of what happened in the chamber once the blinds were closed and witnesses were ushered out of the building.
The autopsy by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office does not appear to support earlier DOC statements that Lockett’s vein collapsed or that he died from a heart attack. Records show Lockett had extensive bleeding near an IV site in his groin.
DOC records show the doctor supervising the execution discovered the lethal drugs were leaking into Lockett’s tissue, and were not entering his vein. His execution was halted by Director Robert Patton about 10 minutes before Lockett died.
The logs make no mention of the execution being stopped or whether prison officials made any attempts to revive Lockett.
A prison incident report simply notes: “Complications during the process prevented normal execution.”
An independent autopsy sought in May by defense attorneys determined Lockett’s IV wasn’t properly placed in his vein, likely causing the drugs to slowly leak into his soft tissue instead of his bloodstream.
The report showed an extensive hemorrhage in Lockett’s groin area where the femoral IV was ultimately placed. The logs and incident reports also repeatedly refer to the person starting Lockett’s IV as a phlebotomist, similar to a preliminary timeline released in May.
Phlebotomists aren’t licensed in Oklahoma or trained to start IVs, and DOC’s protocol requires the IV to be started by a paramedic or similarly qualified medical professional. When the World questioned DOC officials about the discrepancy, they said the timeline was incorrect and a paramedic was involved.
Under Oklahoma law, officials can withhold the identity or credentials of the medical professionals who participate in executions.
Lockett’s death was the first time Oklahoma used the sedative midazolam in an execution. Critics say the drug is not a true anesthetic, and have questioned whether the leaky IV ensured he received enough midazolam to avoid feeling the painful effects of the final drug, potassium chloride.
The official log contains handwritten entries — at times illegible — with sparse details. Entries for 6:30 p.m. and 6:33 p.m. mention the doctor checking for consciousness. The next entry is at 6:42 p.m. when the blinds were lowered, and at 7:06 p.m. when Lockett was declared dead.
The prison had no additional lethal drugs on hand and the doctor said he could not find another vein even if drugs were available before Patton halted the process. Patton initially said Lockett’s vein “exploded” and he later died from a heart attack.
Lockett received two stays before his April execution as his attorneys challenged Oklahoma’s decision to experiment with a new drug combination. The execution log begins Feb. 2 and tracks Lockett’s meals, conversations and other activities in minute detail.
A March 5 entry states: “Lockett said he has his mind set and is ready for execution.” But each time the execution dates approached, records show he stopped eating.
On the morning of Lockett’s death, prison guards came to remove him from his cell for a medical checkup. He refused commands and they shocked him with a Tazer.
The Dallas autopsy was conducted at the request of Gov. Mary Fallin. She also appointed her public safety commissioner, Michael Thompson, to conduct what she said would be an independent investigation into Lockett’s execution.
Lockett was convicted in the 1999 shooting of Stephanie Neiman, 19, of Perry. He and two accomplices abducted Neiman along with two other adults and a baby.
They were taken to a rural area of Noble County, where Lockett shot Neiman twice. He ordered an accomplice to bury her despite being told she was still alive.
The execution of a second death row inmate scheduled for two hours after Lockett’s execution was stayed. Inmate Charles Warner’s execution was rescheduled for Nov. 13; however, it is unclear whether DOC will have time to implement any policy changes by then.
Executions of two other inmates are set after Warner’s. Legal challenges to the state’s process could also delay upcoming executions.
Claiming the state is experimenting on “captive and unwilling human subjects,” 21 Oklahoma death-row prisoners filed a federal lawsuit in June challenging the state’s execution protocols.
Lockett: An independent forensic pathologist says his executioners failed to properly insert an IV, casting doubt on DOC’s claim that a vein collapsed.
Cary Aspinwall 918-581-8477
Ziva Branstetter 918-581-8306
