ATLANTA (AP) — The execution of a Georgia inmate who appeared to struggle last week will be at the center of a push to stop lethal injections using a controversial new sedative, even though they may never be able to prove that it caused the spasms in his last moments.
Capital defense attorneys say they plan to cite Blankenship’s execution as they urge courts to block executions using pentobarbital.
A growing number of states use the chemical amid a supply shortage of another drug that been commonly used.
Blankenship’s head jerked several times and he appeared to gasp for breath after he was pumped with pentobarbital on Thursday in Georgia’s death chamber.
Some experts say the movements were a sign the execution was botched, while others say it’s a side effect of the sedative.
