Man On Death Row Gets Lifeline As Execution On Hold Following Drug Challenge

A man on death row ended up seeing his death sentence held off for another day. This was after problems arose on the kind of drug that was to be used in his execution by lethal injection.

The man was identified as John Marion Grant who was sentenced in 1998 for killing a staff member of the prison named Gay Carter.

Grant was set to be executed on Thursday, Oct. 28. He was already served his last meal request. That included two burgers, crisps, cookies and half a gallon of ice cream.

The execution did not push through as planned due to an appeal according to the Daily Mirror.

Hence, the first death sentence carried out in more than six years in Oklahoma will have to wait. And as far as controversies surrounding the kind of drug to be used in lethal injection, it is not something new.

The drug that was supposed to be used was called midazolam, something used in high-profile executions. However, the said drug has caused problems and is reportedly not a strong enough sedative.

So while that is being sorted out, the death sentence Grant is left hanging.

Grant has a criminal history that dates back to when he was only 11-years-old. He has spent more time in the juvenile system that eventually saw him going to the adult corrections system.

According to his attorneys, Grant had a troubled youth and poor home. They also argued that the state failed to provide him with proper treatment.

The state put executions on hold in 2015 with the decision coming after the botched execution of Clayton Lockett in 2014 who took 43 minutes to die, and the 2015 execution of Charles Warner using the wrong drug.

Executions have been halted in Oklahoma due to problems in the lethal-injection procedure for nearly seven years. Grant would have been injected with a mild sedative no later than four hours before the execution.