Doctor: In botched execution, hurt felt

OKLAHOMA CITY — A doctor who examined the body of an Oklahoma inmate who died during a botched execution told a federal judge Wednesday that he is convinced the man suffered after being declared unconscious.

Dr. Joseph Cohen, a pathologist hired by the inmate’s lawyer, said that recently released witness statements corroborate his belief that Clayton Lockett was conscious when given drugs to stop his heart and breathing. Several witnesses, including an Associated Press reporter, saw the inmate struggle against his restraints, mumble and try to raise his head.

“Mr. Lockett had been deemed unconscious but became conscious again,” Cohen testified at a hearing on whether Oklahoma should resume executions Jan. 15 after a self-imposed moratorium. Death-row inmates fear that the state is conducting human experiments on them by using newly approved drug combinations.

Karen Cunningham, a victim services coordinator for the state attorney general’s office who has witnessed about a dozen executions, said that although the inmate mumbled and moved, it didn’t appear as though he was struggling.

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