Utah scraps untested lethal drug combination for man’s August execution

(AP) – Utah officials said Saturday that they are scrapping plans to usage an untested lethal supplier operation successful adjacent month’s planned execution of a man successful a 1998 execution case. They will alternatively activity retired a supplier that’s been utilized antecedently successful executions successful galore states.

Defense attorneys for Taberon Dave Honie, 49, had sued successful authorities tribunal to extremity nan usage of nan supplier combination, saying it could origin nan suspect “excruciating suffering.”

The execution scheduled for Aug. 8 would beryllium Utah’s first since nan 2010 execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner, by firing squad.

Honie was convicted of aggravated execution successful nan stabbing of his girlfriend’s mother, Claudia Benn, 49.

After decades of grounded appeals, Honie’s execution warrant was signed past period contempt defense objections to nan planned lethal supplier combination.

They said nan first 2 narcotics he was to person been fixed —- nan sedative ketamine and nan anesthetic fentanyl — would not adequately forestall Honie from emotion symptom erstwhile potassium chloride was administered to extremity his heart.

In response, nan Utah Department of Corrections has decided to alternatively usage a azygous supplier — pentobarbital. Agency spokesperson Glen Mills said attorneys for nan authorities revenge tribunal documents overnight Friday asking that nan suit beryllium dismissed.

“We will get and usage pentobarbital for nan execution,” Mills said. He said agency officials still judge nan three-drug operation was effective and humane.

State officials antecedently acknowledged that they knew of nary different cases of nan three-drug operation being utilized successful an execution.

At slightest 14 states person utilized pentobarbital successful executions, according to nan Death Penalty Information Center successful Washington, D.C.

However, there’s been grounds that pentobarbital besides tin origin utmost pain, including successful national executions carried retired successful nan past months of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Honie’s lawyer successful nan lawsuit, national defender Eric Zuckerman, did not instantly respond to an email seeking comment.

Meanwhile, a proceeding is scheduled for Monday connected Honie’s petition to nan authorities parole committee to commute his decease condemnation to life successful prison.

Honie’s lawyers said successful a petition past period that a traumatic and convulsive puerility coupled pinch his long-time supplier abuse, a erstwhile encephalon wounded and utmost intoxication fueled Honie’s behaviour erstwhile he collapsed into his Benn’s location and killed her.

They blamed mediocre ineligible proposal for allowing Honie — a autochthonal of nan Hopi Indian Reservation successful Arizona — to beryllium sentenced by a judge alternatively of a assemblage that mightiness person been much sympathetic and spared him nan decease penalty.