Witness to an Execution: A Slow and Very Painful Death

This challenge was brought before the court by lawyers for condemned prisoner Michael Morales. Morales was scheduled to be killed in February 2006 but was saved when State officials were unable to meet new conditions set by Judge Fogel involving medical professionals' participation in the execution process. The judge wanted to ensure that prisoners stay asleep as they are being poisoned, given that the investigation of recent executions shows Stanley Tookie Williams, killed by the State on December 13, 2005, likely died a slow and very painful death.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger considers such an effort on the part of Judge Fogel as no more than the federal court having "interjected itself into the details of the state's execution process."

While I appreciate Judge Fogel's willingness to consider such challenges to California's killing process, I already know the truth of what prison officials did to Stanley Tookie Williams on December 13th. I know how he suffered because I saw Stan die in San Quentin State Prison's death chamber and it was the most horrific experience of my life-and no doubt the most horrible for Stan.

It began as I awaited the killing of Stan, when prison guards told me that "the whole thing"-the execution of my friend-would only take a few minutes.

It took a total of 35 minutes, during which Stan was tortured virtually every second before he stopped breathing.

Stan's so-called quick and painless death was first botched when it took 25 minutes and many needle "probes" into Stan's arm to find a viable vein for the insertion of a lethal cocktail of three different drugs.

Read More
http://counterpunch.org/becnel09262006.html