search > law center			dictionary

Condemned inmate's complaints about unnecessary pain may be used in appeal

June 9, 2000
Web posted at: 11:45 AM EDT (1545 GMT)

	Web Guide
	Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes
	Law Dictionary

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) -- Complaints that an execution by injection took too long and caused the condemned man unnecessary pain may be used in an appeal by the next convict scheduled to die in Florida.

A lawyer for Thomas Provenzano, who is set to die June 20, said Wednesday's execution of Bennie Demps raised the question of the state's ability to properly carry out an execution.

While strapped to a gurney before his death, Demps said: "They butchered me back there. ... I was in a lot of pain."

Demps complained that officials took nearly an hour to prepare him for execution and that they cut his groin and leg to look for a vein into which they could insert an intravenous tube.

State Attorney Rod Smith said an observer from his office watched as a medical examiner looked over Demps' body. There was a large-bore needle mark in the right groin and a small incision in the right ankle. Puncture wounds were found in the right and left arms.

"We try to locate veins as quickly as possible, but if we don't, we take as much time as we need," Department of Corrections spokeswoman Debra Buchanan said in a statement.

Florida switched to lethal injection from electrocution in January to stave off a U.S. Supreme Court review of whether the old method was constitutional. In previous years, an inmate in the electric chair bled from the nose and another had flames shoot from his mask.

Michael Reiter, an attorney for Provenzano, said he would investigate whether Demps' lethal injection should be part of his client's appeal. Provenzano, 50, faces execution for a murder 16 years ago.

Justin Sayfie, a spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush, said Demps' execution proceeded appropriately.

"There was a slight delay but other than the delay the execution was carried out according to law," Sayfie said. "And we don't believe there's any need to investigate a successful execution."

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more LAW news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about LAW

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.