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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Death row inmate claims allergy to lethal injection |
| 2010-04-15 |
| An Ohio death row inmate is attempting to postpone his imminent appointment with the lethal injection gurney by claiming a possible allergy to the anaesthetic used by the state to dispatch its condemned prisoners. Bad allergic reactions can be fatal. Oh, wait.... Darryl Durr is sentenced to die next Tuesday for the 1988 rape and murder of 16-year-old Angel Vincent. He faces a single injection of thiopental sodium, rather than the traditional three-chemical cocktail used for such executions. Ohio last year became the first state to switch to the one-hit lethal anaesthesia method. His lawyers, however, say that they've found evidence of Durr's allergy in his 800-page prison medical records. If correct, this compromises Ohio's commitment to suffering-free capital punishment. Defense attorney Kathleen McGarry said: "One of the things the Ohio Constitution guarantees is that he has a quick and painless execution. "If he's going to react to the anesthetic drugs in such a manner that he's going to have a violent reaction, either vomiting or seizures or whatever the spectrum is that could happen, then obviously the execution has problems." Did Angel have a quick and painless death? US District Court Judge Gregory Frost has allowed Columbia University Medical Center anesthesiologist Mark Heath to review the records. Heath wrote in support of Durrs' request: "An allergic or other adverse reaction to some component of a general anesthetic might present a serious problem for an execution by lethal injection." Heath did, though, say "it would depend on the drug that precipitated the reaction and the nature of the reaction". Heath's conclusions are due soon, AP notes, and if the findings are favourable to his case, Durr could use them "to try to stop or delay the execution, a request the state would likely oppose". Ohio does have a back-up plan in the event of a successful objection: an untried sedative and painkiller combination, which when injected into muscle is "supposed to produce death". There's always a bullet behind the ear. AP cites two previous lethal injection executions which proved problematic. In Texas in 1989, Stephen McCoy "reacted violently to the chemicals and began choking and seizing, despite being restrained". A state official later admitted "a heavier dose might have been warranted". In 1992, Oklahoma prisoner Robyn Lee Parks "also had a violent reaction as the muscles in his jaw, neck, and abdomen began to spasm about two minutes after the drugs started to flow". The cause of both reactions is "unknown", AP concludes. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #16 sorry chin ditz. Beating to death with a shovel is too good for this trash. His atty should be made to dig the grave. At her usual hourly rate, of course - no use shorting the whores |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-04-15 20:13 |
| #15 And...oh, yeah, here's what he did. At trial, Deborah Mullins testified that on the evening Angel [Vincent, 16] disappeared Deborah had asked Durr to drive to the house of one of Angel's friends to retrieve a package of cigarettes for Angel. Durr agreed and left. Shortly thereafter, Durr returned to Deborah's house and, instead of entering through the front door, began throwing stones at her upstairs bedroom window and blew his car horn for her to come out. Deborah and her baby, who had been fathered by Durr, left the house and entered Durr's car where Durr brandished a knife toward both of them. As Durr was driving, Deborah heard noises from the back seat and after turning around discovered Angel bound on the rear floorboard. . . When Deborah asked Durr why Angel was bound in his car, Durr responded that he intended to "waste" her because "she would tell." He never revealed just what Angel was going to tell. After threatening the life of both Deborah and his baby, Durr let Deborah out of his car. He returned to her home three or four hours later. Upon returning, Durr told Deborah that he had "wasted" Angel and that she should pack her things because they were leaving. Durr drove Deborah and their baby to his wife's, Janice Durr's, Cleveland apartment. After dropping Deborah and the baby off, Durr left with a duffle bag containing two shovels. When Durr returned, he was wet and covered with snow. Upon entering the room, Durr placed a ring and bracelet that belonged to Angel on a coffee table. As he was falling asleep, Durr told Deborah that he had strangled Angel with a dog chain until she "pissed, pooped and sh-- and made a few gurgling sounds," took her body to a park, wrapped it in a blanket, placed it between two construction cones, and left her by some railroad tracks. . . . Following a jury trial, Durr was convicted of aggravated murder; kidnapping; aggravated robbery and rape. The trial court followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Durr to death. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-04-15 19:26 |
| #14 why not supply death row inmates with shanks and just toss their food into an open room too fight over |
| Posted by: chris 2010-04-15 18:56 |
| #13 chinditz I'd venture it is far less expensive to let him rot in a cell rather than pay for all the appeals that go with a death sentence conviction. |
| Posted by: Beavis 2010-04-15 15:08 |
| #12 "It's not an affection. It's a responsibility the state assumed." I fully understand this and agree that it should be so, my point however is that for the crime that this "man" has commited, to me personally, life in solitairy, under constant surveilance with only the bucket he shits in for company is a far more statisfying retribution than a quick and easy death by lethal injection. From what i have read about the US justice system the cost should be about the same as well. Again i am not looking for an argument about the deathpenalty, i want people who commit horrible acts as this man has commited to suffer, and he or she can only suffer as long as he or she is alive, lets make it last. |
| Posted by: chinditz 2010-04-15 14:38 |
| #11 I understand the affection for the death-sentence in this & other cases.. It's not an affection. It's a responsibility the state assumed. If you recall popular literature like Romeo and Juliet, vendetta was, and still is a social fact in many if not nearly all cultures. Just recall the opening of the Godfather when the mortician pleads with the Don for justice. The state worked many centuries to impose itself between aggrieved parties to act as a dispassionate third party to render justice. In return for the power and the responsibilities it was given the authority ending the cycle of retribution. Now the state has absolved itself of the responsibility. If you want justice don't expect it from the state. You already see that in the gang wars that rage just below the attention level in our cities that already mimic the families of Shakespeare's story. Make no mistake about it. The death penalty is carried out in our streets, our business, our neighborhoods. There is no due process. There is no appeal. Far too many innocents are caught up in that situation than any in the ritualistic legal system that demonstrates daily that the will of the people be damn. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-04-15 14:16 |
| #10 |
| Posted by: Mike 2010-04-15 13:46 |
| #9 "Darryl Durr" Not so bright are you Mr Durr. |
| Posted by: Sir Victor Emmanuel Glomomble IV 2010-04-15 11:39 |
| #8 #7 I understand the affection for the death-sentence in this & other cases, but, sticking him in solitary with no priviliges whatsoever for the rest of his natural life (on suicide-watch offcourse) would be fine by me. (let the asshole realy suffer & pay, painless death allways seemed a little to easy for me) Not trying to start an argument, just the way i see it :-) Posted by: chinditz 2010-04-15 10:16 Well stated. I agree completely. |
| Posted by: WolfDog 2010-04-15 10:58 |
| #7 I understand the affection for the death-sentence in this & other cases, but, sticking him in solitary with no priviliges whatsoever for the rest of his natural life (on suicide-watch offcourse) would be fine by me. (let the asshole realy suffer & pay, painless death allways seemed a little to easy for me) Not trying to start an argument, just the way i see it :-) |
| Posted by: chinditz 2010-04-15 10:16 |
| #6 A 16 ton weight crushing his head would be painless. Messy, but painless. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-04-15 10:10 |
| #5 In 1992, Oklahoma prisoner Robyn Lee Parks "also had a violent reaction as the muscles in his jaw, neck, and abdomen began to spasm about two minutes after the drugs started to flow". Spasms then death. No additional charge for the spasms. Another happy ending. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-15 10:07 |
| #4 Bring back the Lightning Ride... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-04-15 09:48 |
| #3 This is a major States' rights issue, as it is repulsive that federal judges feel they can horn in at will and repeatedly, micromanaging the pluperfect hell out of what should be a simple, post conviction execution. There should be one, and only one, federal appeal allowed for a State death penalty. It should be automatic, and conducted within six months of conviction, not to last more than another six months. Likewise it should be limited solely to trial error, or at the request of the trial prosecutor, based on new evidence. In short, if a State wishes to hang with hemp rope, that is fine and dandy. If they want to electrocute, or use the gas chamber, that is all good. The final appeal should rest with the governor of the State. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-04-15 09:41 |
| #2 Obviously he had no problem with the method he used to murder his victim, so use that as the protocol. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-04-15 09:23 |
| #1 Electric chair? Firing squad? Hanging? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-04-15 09:11 |