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How botched lethal injections turn executions into torture

How botched lethal injections turn executions into torture

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Lethal injection is supposed to be a more humane way to execute prisoners, but it's clear this isn't always the case. The New Republic has a photo report detailing the botched 2006 execution of Angel Diaz, convicted of murdering a strip club owner in Florida. The execution team accidentally pushed the injection needles through Diaz's veins, and into the soft tissue of his arms. Instead of being rendered unconscious, Diaz remained awake as the drugs suffocated him and seared second-degree chemical burns into his arms. The procedure was so badly performed that then-Gov. Jeb Bush suspended all pending executions in the state. Lethal injection became a national issue again after the mishandled execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma this April. Instead of dying in the intended 10 minutes, Lockett struggled for an hour before succumbing to the drugs. Read the full story about Diaz and see the photos here, but be warned — they are graphic.