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Idaho Halts Execution After Failed Attempts to Establish IV Line

Three medical team members tried eight times to establish an IV, Corrections Director Josh Tewalt (center) told a news conference afterward. | Kyle Green/AP

In a significant and unprecedented development, Idaho has suspended the execution of Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S., due to multiple failed attempts to establish an intravenous line for lethal injection.

Thomas Eugene Creech, 73, convicted of five murders in three states and suspected of additional crimes, was set for execution at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. The medical team, after trying eight times, was unable to find a suitable vein for the lethal injection. Corrections Director Josh Tewalt stated that attempts were made in Creech’s arms, legs, hands, and feet, encountering difficulties with both access and vein quality.

Creech, who has been in prison since 1974, faced execution for the 1981 murder of fellow inmate David Dale Jensen. The Idaho Department of Corrections announced that Creech’s death warrant would expire, prompting considerations about the next steps. Creech’s attorneys swiftly filed a motion for a stay in U.S. District Court, emphasizing the botched execution attempt as evidence of the department’s inability to carry out a humane and constitutional execution.

The execution, witnessed by six Idaho officials, including Attorney General Raul Labrador, and four media representatives, was Idaho’s first in 12 years. The all-volunteer execution team, whose identities remained confidential, faced criticism for the unsuccessful attempts.

Creech’s last-minute appeals, including claims of an unfair clemency hearing and constitutional concerns about being sentenced by a judge rather than a jury, were denied by the courts. A late petition to the U.S. Supreme Court was also rejected.

Outside the prison, about 15 protesters gathered, expressing opposition to the death penalty. Creech, an Ohio native, has spent most of his life behind bars in Idaho, where he was initially imprisoned for the 1974 shooting deaths of two individuals who had picked him up while hitchhiking.

The failed execution has raised questions about the state’s execution procedures and the use of lethal drugs. Creech’s attorneys argue that the incident underscores the risks involved when individuals with unknown training are assigned to carry out executions. The unfolding events may trigger a broader discussion about the effectiveness and humanity of lethal injection as a method of capital punishment.

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