Yesterday, the state of Arizona executed Joseph Rudolph Wood III, a convicted double murderer. It took an hour and 40 minutes for Wood to die, as his lawyer said Wood gasped and snorted for the duration of the execution.
Prison officials contended Wood was in no pain, though reporters’ accounts contradict those claims and describe a far different scene during the nearly two-hour affair.
A combination of 50 mg of midazolam, a sedative, and 50 mg of hydromorphone, a narcotic, was used, which happens to be the exact dosage of the cocktail Ohio has recommended to use in its executions. Ohio had been using 10 mg of midazolam and 40 mg of hydromorphone, but that cocktail, being used for the first time in the execution of Dennis McGuire in Ohio back in January, led to a similar prolonged wait — it took over 15 minutes for McGuire to die and witnesses described snorting and gasping similar to that of Wood.
The controversy surrounding that lethal injection incident led to plenty of outcry and a court-issued moratorium on executions in the state, which technically ends on Aug. 15. Convicted Summit County killer Ronald Phillips is the next slated execution in Ohio, slated for Sept. 18.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2014.
I read the headline, and one word came to mind. “Good”. I was less interested in quotes from reporters on the scene then I was from the victim’s family when describing the situation. “You don’t know what excruciating is. What’s excruciating is seeing your dad laying there in a pool of blood, seeing your sister laying there in a pool of blood.”
Everyone is all concerned about how long it takes an unconscious murderer to die. Why don’t we go back to firing squads if everyone is so concerned. Assuming we have some accurate shots in this state, death should come quickly, right?
I understand every media outlet has a different purpose, and Scene is a local, art heavy publication so perhaps this comment is not directed toward Scene, but
It’s my estimation well over 2000 people have been murdered worldwide this past week…between Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Iraq, not to mention Syria and the fact 1/2 of Japan is a radioactive wasteland polluting the ocean. As well the police in the U.S. seem to be killing people for things like selling cigs. Why is this even a story.
And I’ll add one thing more….If the government can’t kill a convicted murder in less than 100 minutes how can they be trusted with either health care, or wold wide military presence?
John Wood beat Diana Deitz until she fled back to her family for safety. He hunted her down and killed her father in front of her before killing her. 23 years ago.
I am not mourning this horrible man’s passing nor the manner of his death. I save my sympathy for the Deitz family, instead.
In order to make the liberals feel better, a guard could have just put a bullet through his head and end it quick.
Compared to what the victims and their families got, I’d say that an hour and 40 minutes to die while medicated is an amazing deal for the murderer. This monster’s victims suffered so much more.