Miami Judge Denies Death Row Inmate Challenge

The judge ruled the use of pentobarbital in the execution cocktail is unlikely to expose an inmate to pain and suffering

A judge in Miami has denied a Florida death row inmate's challenge to use of a replacement drug in executions by lethal injection.
 
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jacqueline Hogan Scola ruled Wednesday that use of pentobarbital in the execution cocktail is unlikely to expose an inmate to pain and suffering. Scola said the state's
medical expert established that pentobarbital alone would be fatal in the planned doses.
 
The challenge was brought by 61-year-old Manuel Valle, convicted of killing a Coral Gables police officer in 1978. An expert testifying for Valle said pentobarbital was untested in executions
and could subject inmates to intense pain.
 
Valle's execution originally set for this week was delayed until Sept. 1 by the Florida Supreme Court to review his challenge.
 
Scola's ruling goes to the high court.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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