This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/05/tennessee-death-row-inmates-execution-firing-squad
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Four Tennessee death row inmates ask for execution by firing squad | Four Tennessee death row inmates ask for execution by firing squad |
| (25 days later) | |
| Four Tennessee death row inmates are asking a federal court to allow them to have a firing squad used as an execution method. | Four Tennessee death row inmates are asking a federal court to allow them to have a firing squad used as an execution method. |
| The lawsuit was filed Friday, a day after Edmund Zagorski was executed at a Tennessee maximum security prison using the electric chair. Zagorski’s attorneys argued the method was more humane than selecting lethal injection because it would take a shorter amount of time for the inmate to die. It was the first electrocution the state had conducted since 2007. | The lawsuit was filed Friday, a day after Edmund Zagorski was executed at a Tennessee maximum security prison using the electric chair. Zagorski’s attorneys argued the method was more humane than selecting lethal injection because it would take a shorter amount of time for the inmate to die. It was the first electrocution the state had conducted since 2007. |
| The four inmates named in the lawsuit include David Earl Miller, who is scheduled to be executed on 6 December and is the longest-standing death row inmate in Tennessee. | The four inmates named in the lawsuit include David Earl Miller, who is scheduled to be executed on 6 December and is the longest-standing death row inmate in Tennessee. |
| Tennessee man executed by electric chair after supreme court battle | |
| Miller was sentenced to death in 1981 for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Lee Standifer, who was mentally handicapped, in Knoxville. | Miller was sentenced to death in 1981 for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Lee Standifer, who was mentally handicapped, in Knoxville. |
| Miller will be asked Tuesday to choose his execution method. The lawsuit seeks to delay that decision until a federal judge can review their case, as well as delay his execution. | Miller will be asked Tuesday to choose his execution method. The lawsuit seeks to delay that decision until a federal judge can review their case, as well as delay his execution. |
| “There exists one or more feasible and readily-available alternative methods of execution which substantially reduce the constitutionally-unacceptable risk of inflicting unnecessary and serious pain created by the use of electrocution to carry out Plaintiffs’ executions,” wrote Stephen Kissinger, the federal public defender representing the inmates. | “There exists one or more feasible and readily-available alternative methods of execution which substantially reduce the constitutionally-unacceptable risk of inflicting unnecessary and serious pain created by the use of electrocution to carry out Plaintiffs’ executions,” wrote Stephen Kissinger, the federal public defender representing the inmates. |
| The suit adds that the state already has the trained personnel, firearms and space to allow for a firing squad. However, if the court disagrees, the suit also asks for permission to use other alternatives such as orally administering lethal drugs over using a needle, or using different forms of drugs. | The suit adds that the state already has the trained personnel, firearms and space to allow for a firing squad. However, if the court disagrees, the suit also asks for permission to use other alternatives such as orally administering lethal drugs over using a needle, or using different forms of drugs. |
| “Because lethal injection is the default method of execution, plaintiffs must elect electrocution in order to avoid a harsher punishment than the punishment provided by law at the time of the crimes,” Kissinger wrote. | “Because lethal injection is the default method of execution, plaintiffs must elect electrocution in order to avoid a harsher punishment than the punishment provided by law at the time of the crimes,” Kissinger wrote. |
| The lawsuit goes on to argue that if an inmate chooses electrocution, inmates “may forfeit the right to challenge the constitutionality of electrocution under the Eighth Amendment”. | The lawsuit goes on to argue that if an inmate chooses electrocution, inmates “may forfeit the right to challenge the constitutionality of electrocution under the Eighth Amendment”. |
| A spokeswoman for the department of correction said it would be “improper” to provide a comment with the lawsuit still pending. | A spokeswoman for the department of correction said it would be “improper” to provide a comment with the lawsuit still pending. |
| Other inmates listed in the lawsuit include Nicholas Todd Sutton, Stephen Michael West and Terry Lynn King. | Other inmates listed in the lawsuit include Nicholas Todd Sutton, Stephen Michael West and Terry Lynn King. |
| Washington state's supreme court strikes down death penalty | |
| Miller, Sutton and West had filed a similar lawsuit earlier this year pushing for alternatives to Tennessee’s lethal injection method but eventually voluntarily dismissed their case due to other challenges to the state’s execution procedures. | Miller, Sutton and West had filed a similar lawsuit earlier this year pushing for alternatives to Tennessee’s lethal injection method but eventually voluntarily dismissed their case due to other challenges to the state’s execution procedures. |
| The last time a firing squad was used in the US was in 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by a firing squad in Utah for the 1984 murder of attorney Michael Burdell during a failed courthouse escape. | The last time a firing squad was used in the US was in 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by a firing squad in Utah for the 1984 murder of attorney Michael Burdell during a failed courthouse escape. |
| Today, just three states – Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah – continue to allow the use of firing squads. | Today, just three states – Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah – continue to allow the use of firing squads. |
| US prisons | US prisons |
| Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Capital punishment | Capital punishment |
| US crime | US crime |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |