Texas carries out US' first execution since Christa Pike’s failed lethal injection
Jamaal Howard fatally shot a convenience store clerk in 2000.
On Wednesday (October 7), Texas executed Jamaal Howard, becoming the 30th person put to death in the United States this year. This marks the first execution since Tennessee's failed attempt to administer a lethal injection to Christa Pike a week ago. Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:03 PM after receiving a fatal dose of pentobarbital at the Huntsville state prison.
He was convicted of killing Vickie Swartout, 42, during a convenience store robbery in 2000, which was captured on surveillance video. Before his execution, Howard apologized profusely to some members of Swartout's family, who watched through a window in the death chamber. He expressed his remorse, thanked his friends and family, and wished them well.
Howard's attorneys had argued that he was intellectually disabled and faced similar risks as in Christa Pike's case due to the state's use of pentobarbital for lethal injections. However, the Supreme Court declined to intervene, clearing the way for the execution.
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- What could happen next in Christa Pike’s case? kahawatungu.com
