Drugs in botched Oklahoma execution leaked from IV

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Some of the three new drugs used in a botched Oklahoma execution never made it into the inmate’s system.

In a report, state prisons director Robert Patton says that’s because a collapsed vein in Clayton Lockett’s groin wasn’t noticed until 21 minutes after the execution started.

Patton said medical officials tried for nearly an hour to find a vein in Lockett’s arms, legs and neck before finally inserting an IV into his groin. Patton gave details in a letter to the governor.

Patton halted Tuesday night’s execution, but Lockett was pronounced dead of a heart attack about 10 minutes later.

Oklahoma’s execution rules call for medical personnel to immediately give emergency aid if a stay is granted while the lethal drugs are being administered. It’s not clear if that happened.