You know I’ve been telling you why I believed the MO Department of Corrections was in such haste to execute everybody on Death Row as quickly as possible. Based upon National Public Radio’s probe, we’ve now have some insight. And as Grandma always says, “What’s done in the dark will soon come to light.”
Via Sunshine Law requests, NPR has discovered that the MO DOC has been lying about their execution protocol. The protocol states that only one drug that can be used–pentobarbital. We now find out that Midazolam aka Versed is also being used. Versed is the drug that has caused serious problems in botched executions such as in Ohio and Arizona.
Gov. Nixon, Attorney General Chris Koster, DOC Director Lombardi and the State Legislature have all been in cahoots with the shroud of secrecy around executions. We don’t know where the drugs came from, what’s in the drugs, who administers them, when they administer them–the questions just go on and on.
Under oath, Lombardi swore that Midazolam was not being used: “And I’m testifying right now to tell you that will not be the case. We will not use those drugs.” The drug has been used in the last nine executions. This is perjury and the last time I looked, it’s ILLEGAL all day long. We need answers and accountability!
I was totally disgusted to find out from reading the documents acquired by NRP that Michael Taylor was injected with Midazolam well before his execution warrant was even valid and well before witnesses gathered.
We can halt this despicable affront to the law and to the decency of fair-minded citizens. Contact Gov. Nixon and demand that he halt all executions–including the execution of Earl Ringo on Tuesday, Sept. 9–until a full and thorough investigation is made of the state’s execution protocol and actual procedures.
Contact Governor Jay Nixon today at 573.751.3222 (phone) or 573.526.3291 (fax).
