Texas carries out 1st U.S. execution since Christa Pike survived lethal injection
A man convicted of murdering a convenience store clerk has been executed in Texas, according to state officials. It was the first execution in the United States since Christa Pike survived an attempt to put her to death by lethal injection in Tennessee.
Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving pentobarbital at the Huntsville Unit, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Howard was sentenced to death in April 2001 for killing Vickie Swartout, a 42-year-old clerk, during a robbery in Silsbee on May 12, 2000. He was 20 at the time of the crime.
Court records said Howard entered the store’s secured office area and shot Swartout in the chest. He took $114 from the register and reached over the dying clerk to steal a carton of cigarettes before leaving. The crime was captured on surveillance video.
In his final statement, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family and said he hoped they could find peace and forgive him.
“I wish for your forgiveness. I’m sorry for what happened,” he said.
Howard also thanked his family and others who had supported him, telling them he loved them. He ended his statement by saying: “Warden, that’s it. I’m ready, Warden.”
As the pentobarbital took effect, Howard took a couple of breaths, gasped and made snoring sounds, according to the Associated Press. He coughed, then resumed making progressively quieter snoring sounds. All movement stopped within about 30 seconds, and he was pronounced dead 19 minutes later.
Before the execution, Howard’s attorneys sought a delay, citing Christa Pike’s failed lethal injection and arguing that pentobarbital posed similar risks. They also argued that he was intellectually disabled.
Pike’s execution attempt took place on September 30 at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. She continued showing signs of life after receiving two rounds of pentobarbital and was eventually taken to a hospital.
Her attorneys said Tuesday that she was conscious and speaking but continued to require critical medical care. They said she suffered severe damage to her arms and faced a lengthy recovery.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
