Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has ordered an independent review of the state's execution procedures.
The move comes a day after Oklahoma botched the execution of Clayton D. Lockett. If you remember, after a long legal and political battle, the state proceeded to execute Lockett using a novel combination of drugs.
The state's department of corrections said Lockett's veins failed and cocktail failed to properly make its way into his system. Lockett died of a heart attack after officials called off his execution and more than an hour after the execution was scheduled to begin.
"[Lockett] had his day in court," Falling said in a televised press conference. "I believe the legal process worked. I believe the death penalty is an appropriate response and punishment to those who commit heinous crime against their fellow men and women. However, I also believe the state needs to be certain of its protocols and its procedures for executions and that they work."
Fallin said the independent review will be led by Michael Thompson, the state's Department of Public Safety commissioner.
Fallin said she expects the review, which will employ an independent pathologist, will determine how Lockett died and whether corrections officials followed current protocol.
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