Man Executed By Firing Squad Was Conscious For Up To A Minute After Bullets Missed Target, Lawyers Say
- The Bear Pit
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Sounds like he died to me!
An inmate put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute after the bullets missed their target and failed to quickly stop his heart, according to a pathologist hired by the inmate's attorneys.
An autopsy photo of Mikal Mahdi's torso showed only two distinct wounds from the three prison employees who volunteered for the firing squad and had live ammunition in the April 11 execution, according to the pathologist's report. It was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court titled "notice of botched execution."
Prison workers suggested to the pathologist who performed the autopsy that two bullets entered his body at the same spot.
"The shooters missed the intended target area and the evidence indicates that he was struck by only two bullets, not the prescribed three. Consequently, the nature of the internal injuries from the gunshot wounds resulted in a more prolonged death process," said Dr. Jonathan Arden, a pathologist hired by attorneys for condemned inmates.
Arden said that likely meant Mahdi took 30 to 60 seconds to lose consciousness — two to four times longer than the 15 seconds that experts including Arden and ones hired by the state predicted for a properly conducted firing squad execution.
www.cbsnews.com
An inmate put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute after the bullets missed their target and failed to quickly stop his heart, according to a pathologist hired by the inmate's attorneys.
An autopsy photo of Mikal Mahdi's torso showed only two distinct wounds from the three prison employees who volunteered for the firing squad and had live ammunition in the April 11 execution, according to the pathologist's report. It was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court titled "notice of botched execution."
Prison workers suggested to the pathologist who performed the autopsy that two bullets entered his body at the same spot.
"The shooters missed the intended target area and the evidence indicates that he was struck by only two bullets, not the prescribed three. Consequently, the nature of the internal injuries from the gunshot wounds resulted in a more prolonged death process," said Dr. Jonathan Arden, a pathologist hired by attorneys for condemned inmates.
Arden said that likely meant Mahdi took 30 to 60 seconds to lose consciousness — two to four times longer than the 15 seconds that experts including Arden and ones hired by the state predicted for a properly conducted firing squad execution.
Man executed by firing squad was conscious for up to a minute after bullets missed target, lawyers say
A pathologist hired by death row inmates' attorneys says a South Carolina man executed by firing squad was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute.
www.cbsnews.com
