Missouri Execution Delayed Over Concerns about Lethal Injection Drugs

Just two and a half hours before he was scheduled to be executed, the lethal injection of 56-year-old Herbert Smulls was delayed by a court order. Smulls was convicted of murdering a man in 1991. Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to decide whether or not a Missouri correctional facility can go through with the procedure, which could happen later this afternoon if the highest court rules on the side of the state. Smulls’ lawyer said that because Missouri officials would not reveal the compounding pharmacy where they bought the execution drug, they can not be sure that the formula won’t cause unnecessary pain and suffering during the execution. The use of certain lethal injection drug combinations has been the source of a legal debate recently, after the execution of a convicted Ohio killer reportedly lasted nearly 15 minutes …