Ohio's prison system says officials followed proper security protocols when the attorney witnessing yesterday's execution of her client tried to leave the witness room. Prisons officials say once the attorney's intention and identity were confirmed she was allowed to leave to alert a federal judge there appeared to be problems with the execution. Officials say it was carried out without incident. The attorney believes mistakes were made. More from Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler.
45 year old Gary Otte of Indiana died at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville about 31 minutes after his execution began. Jim Province of the Toledo Blade has witnessed executions before, including a problematic one in 2006. Province says Otte apologized for his crimes, sang a hymn, and then didn’t move after the drugs took effect.
“But one of his attorneys had the opinion that he was not sufficiently under enough not to experience pain from the second two drugs. So she tried to get a hold of a judge after the process had started, without success.”
Otte’s attorney, Carol Wright, says she believes Otte was suffering from respiratory distress. Otte’s family and relatives of his two victims were among the witnesses but did not speak.
