A Texas man convicted of killing a convenience store clerk during a robbery was executed on Wednesday evening, despite concerns raised by his attorneys about the lethal injection drug used in a failed execution attempt in Tennessee last week. Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. He was sentenced to death for the 2000 killing of 42-year-old Vickie Swartout in Silsbee, Texas.
Prior to his execution, Howard's attorneys had pointed to the failed execution of Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike, who survived two doses of pentobarbital on September 30. They argued that the same drug Texas planned to use could pose similar risks. The Supreme Court rejected Howard's emergency appeal without explanation, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson being the only justice to publicly dissent.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had previously rejected two requests to stop the execution based on concerns about the drug's use. According to eyewitnesses, as the pentobarbital began taking effect, Howard took a couple of breaths and gasped. He then began making snoring sounds, coughed and resumed the snoring sounds, which grew progressively quieter. His movements reportedly stopped entirely after around 30 seconds, and he was pronounced dead 19 minutes later.
Howard's attorneys had also requested information about the dose of pentobarbital the Texas Department of Criminal Justice planned to use to carry out the execution, citing concerns about the drug's effectiveness. The concerns stemmed in part from Pike's execution attempt, during which she reportedly survived two doses of pentobarbital.
Howard was convicted of capital murder in the killing of Swartout, who was shot once in the chest during a convenience store robbery. He also took $114 from the cash register during the robbery.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
View original reporting →
