A DEATH row inmate endured "three hours of pain" during the longest lethal injection process in US history, a report by a human rights organization claims.
Joe Nathan James Jr, 50, was convicted of the 1994 murder of his ex-girlfriend whose family spoke out against his death sentence.
James' execution was scheduled for 6pm on July 28. Corrections officials said that a death warrant was read at 9.03pm.
He was executed by lethal injection at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, where his time of death was 9.27pm.
Now, a human rights organization has claimed that officials unsuccessfully tried for more than three hours to insert an IV line.
Reprieve US funded an independent autopsy days after James' death.
The organization claims that after difficulty with the IV line, the execution team eventually attempted a "cut-down procedure," which would have caused James to struggle while leaving his hands and wrists hurt.
"Subjecting a prisoner to three hours of pain and suffering is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment," Director of Reprieve US Maya Foa said, according to the Daily Mail.
"States cannot continue to pretend that the abhorrent practice of lethal injection is in any way humane."
The Alabama Department of Corrections previously spoke of James Jr's execution, saying that nothing was out of the ordinary.
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"We're carrying out the ultimate punishment… and we have protocols and we are very deliberate in our process and making sure everything goes according to plan," said ADOC Commissioner John Hamm.
"So, if that takes a few minutes or a few hours, that's what we do."
Hamm said that James was not sedated before the procedure started and would not elaborate on what caused the delay, AL.com reported.
A prison official later confirmed that the delay was because of the time needed to connect the IV line, the news outlet reported.
“Three-hour delays in carrying out executions after all court issues have been resolved are not normal,” Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said after the execution.
"They don’t happen unless something has gone wrong or the state is not properly prepared."
INMATES SPEAK
James Jr's execution was highly criticized despite him being found guilty of killing ex-Faith Hall in Birmingham.
James Jr followed Hall and a friend to an apartment and forced his way inside, the state attorney general said.
Hall and her friend tried to hold the front door of the apartment closed but James Jr got in with a .38-caliber pistol.
He had accused Hall of being disloyal and deceitful before shooting her in the chest, abdomen, and head.
She was a 26-year-old mother of two young children.
Media witnesses in a van outside of the prison who were waiting for the execution to start observed notes hung in the windows by inmates.
One read: “This is a murder."
Another sign read: “Victim family says no.”
FAMILY'S PLEA
Alabama Representative Juandalynn Givan released a statement on behalf of Hall's family hours before the execution.
“Today is a tragic day for our family. We are having to relive the hurt that this caused us many years ago," it said.
"We write to inform you that we have decided to not attend the execution of Mr Joe Nathan James Jr. We’ve asked Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to hear our voices and respect our wishes. We know they decided not to.
“We hoped the state wouldn’t take a life simply because a life was taken and we have forgiven Mr Joe Nathan James Jr for his atrocities toward our family. We have relied upon our faith to get us through these dark days.
"Although we knew this day would come, we hoped to have our voices heard through this process. We’d like to thank State Representative Juandalynn Givan for her help and assistance by reaching out to the Governor’s office.
"We pray that God allows us to find healing after today, and that one day our criminal justice system will listen to the cries of families like ours even if it goes against what the state wishes. Our voices matter and so does the life of Mr Joe Nathan James, Jr.”
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