Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood on Thursday continued seeking the execution of convicted killer Earl Wesley Berry by saying the state’s lethal injection method is “substantially similar” to one recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
To further his point, Hood used testimony from a key prison official who said the two executions he’s overseen since 2005 have been carried out “without incident.” The state also gave more details about execution protocol.
Berry’s attorney, James Craig, argued the policy “is not as detailed or mandatory” as Kentucky’s, deemed acceptable by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The Constitution does not require Earl Berry to hope that the prison officials will execute him properly,” Craig said. “He is entitled to policies and procedures that reduce the risk of him being suffocated to death but paralyzed and unable to stop the torture.”
Magnolia Tribune
