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Inmate seeks execution by firing squad, says lethal injection too painful

F

fluffydelusions

Member
A Georgia inmate is asking to be executed by a firing squad because he says lethal injection would be too painful for him.

Convicted murderer J.W. Ledford Jr. takes a pain medication, gabapentin, that changed his brain chemistry so much the lethal injection drug pentobarbital might not make him unconscious and would cause him "to suffer an excruciating death," according to documents filed by his lawyer in US District Court.
"Mr. Ledford proposes that the firing squad is a readily implemented and more reliable alternative method of execution that would eliminate the risks posed to him by lethal injection," his lawyers said in court papers filed Thursday.
The Georgia attorney general's office replied Friday there was no proof a firing squad would be less painful and contended there was "no substantial risk" he would suffer severe pain in a Georgia execution by lethal injection.
Lethal injection explained

The state also questioned the timing of Ledford's arguments. He is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday.

"Plaintiff has waited until the eve of his execution to suddenly claim that he has been treated for pain with medication that will allegedly interfere with his execution, ..." the state's lawyers wrote. "If plaintiff really thought the firing squad was a reasonable alternative he could have alerted the State years, instead of 5 days, before his execution."

Ledford's lawyers concede they don't expect their legal strategy to succeed.
Legal precedent only allows him to suggest an alternative form of execution allowed by Georgia, but the state only authorizes lethal injection, the lawyers wrote. Ledford's "dilemma illustrates why this standard is unworkable," the lawyers said.
The lawyers ask that the judge grant a declaratory judgment that Georgia's use of lethal injection violates Ledford's eighth amendment rights, grant an injunction preventing the state from proceeding with an execution using pentobarbital and prevent the state from discontinuing Ledford's use of his pain medication.
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http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/12/us/firing-squad-georgia-death-penalty/index.html
 
E

Earthbound64

Banned
Convicted murderer J.W. Ledford Jr. takes a pain medication, gabapentin, that changed his brain chemistry so much the lethal injection drug pentobarbital might not make him unconscious and would cause him "to suffer an excruciating death," according to documents filed by his lawyer in US District Court.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see the receipts on that.
(Not saying it's impossible or anything. I'd just like to see how he came across it)
 
Dice//

Dice//

Banned
The stress I'm sure is a real "killer" here too....

Yeah, a quick bullet in the head or whatever's fastest is what I'd want if I had to go.
 
Kingpin Rogers

Kingpin Rogers

Member
I guess you could just get whoever was going to administer the lethal injection to shoot him in the head with a gun. Instant death, no pain.
 
N

NullPointer

Member
DonMigs85 said:
What about the guillotine?
Click to expand...
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
 
P

Psychoward

Banned
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...
The biggest problem is that they were used so much in revolutionary France the blade would dull and it would take a few chops for the poor chaps. Probably wouldn't be an issue now considering the amount of executions for it would be really far down and I'd like to think they'd make sure it was sharp before using it. But then again there are some pretty fucked up stories of capital punishment going wrong "by accident".

Or ya know, just stop state and federal sponsored executions but that's crazy talk.
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...

You could probably make decent ones now.

Their whole history was not "effective, painless, or quick" in actual use
 
M

mantidor

Member
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...

This is literally the reason Mr. Guillotine invented the device back in the French revolution.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...

No head, so no casket. I'd definitely prefer a firing squad personally, because I'd like to keep my head, even into death : )
 
G

GulAtiCa

Member
DonMigs85 said:
What about the guillotine?
Click to expand...
Apparently there is some debate on if this kills instantly or not. Seems like the brain and conciousness can perhaps last a few seconds after. To where you're​ possibly aware of what happened and until brain death you feel that pain and fear around you.
 
E

Earthbound64

Banned
GulAtiCa said:
Apparently there is some debate on if this kills instantly or not. Seems like the brain and conciousness can perhaps last a few seconds after. To where you're​ possibly aware of what happened and until brain death you feel that pain and fear around you.
Click to expand...

"Chicken with its head cut off" syndrome.

**** that.
 
T

Tigress

Member
Xe4 said:
No head, so no casket. I'd definitely prefer a firing squad personally, because I'd like to keep my head, even into death : )
Click to expand...

Except if they aren't shooting you in the head, how fast of a death is that? I hear bleeding out is really painful. Give me a shot to the head and then just cremate me.
 
Z

zeshakag

Member
I remember in a show like Radio lab or This American Life, a guy advocated that if we're going to be doing death sentences, it shouldn't be by lethal injection.

I disagree in that he agrees with the death penalty, and I don't. But to me, if done right, it's not nearly as long and drawn out as lethal injection.( This person doesn't care about any of that because he believed it was just punishment.)

What I do agree with him on though, is that with a firing squad there is a more direct cause and effect made between the executioner and the person being put to death. IE if we're going to put people to death, at least sack up enough to kill the person, not try to dance around it with lethal injection drugs. You're murdering somebody. Society needs to be honest to itself about it.

This person on the podcast also believed that even a firing squad took away too much responsibility, because only one person actually has live rounds when they all pull the trigger, so nobody knows if it was really them that killed the person. The point was made that in a firing squad for a civilian execution, nobody should have blanks, so everybody acknowledges in the moment what they are doing.

If I was on death row and I had no way out of the system, I would seek a firing squad.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...

I suspect lethal injection isn't used just for the criminal. It's easier for us as a society to stomach. Personally, I think if you're willing to execute somone you should be forced to watch and should be able to handle the looping off of someone head
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
NullPointer said:
This is what I'd like to know.

Its cheap, quick, effective and as painless as you're likely to get short of 100% reliable lethal injection, which doesn't seem to exist.

Its messy, but I don't see how its worse than what a firing squad would do.

If you just have to execute an individual, why not a guillotine? Compared to the alternatives out there I don't see how it could be considered cruel or unusual.
Click to expand...

Painless? Your still conscious for a brief period afterward, maybe painless, but terrifying no doubt.

Cant see any death that doesnt result in complete destruction of your brain that wouldnt be painful or quick enough for me.
 
E

Earthbound64

Banned
zeshakag said:
This person on the podcast also believed that even a firing squad took away too much responsibility, because only one person actually has live rounds when they all pull the trigger, so nobody knows if it was really them that killed the person.
Click to expand...

I thought that it was the other way around - that there was 1 person with a "fake" round and everyone else with a "real" round.
 
T

The Argus

Member
Never understood why it was so hard to do a painless lethal injection. I had to put my 135 pound Newfie down last year after 12 long years and he was as peaceful as the day we got him. My sister had a horse go the same way years ago. Yet here we are fucking around with expired drugs that kinda suck at what they're supposed to do.
 
P

Palmer_v1

Member
Not that I condone the death penalty, but I don't understand why some sleeping pills and carbon monoxide doesn't get the job done relatively peacefully.
 
M

mantidor

Member
GulAtiCa said:
Apparently there is some debate on if this kills instantly or not. Seems like the brain and conciousness can perhaps last a few seconds after. To where you're​ possibly aware of what happened and until brain death you feel that pain and fear around you.
Click to expand...

I had no idea there was any debate, people lose consciousness at the smallest drop of blood pressure, it's mostly taboo for our sake, because dealing with a beheaded body is very gruesome.
 
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