Florida plans to execute a man who was convicted of fatally stabbing his young daughter, his ex-wife and two of her relatives in a jealous rampage 30 years ago.
Advertisement
Correll was sentenced to Florida’s death row for the 1985 murders of his former wife, Susan Correll, 25, and their 5-year-old daughter, Tuesday, at their home in the Orlando area. It will be Florida’s first execution since last January.
Still, Correll’s lawyers are hoping for a delay. Midazolam has been used in botched executions in other states. “State-sanctioned killing is unwarranted, promotes vengeance rather than justice, and reinforces a growing disrespect for the sacredness of all human life”, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said October 27. In Oklahoma, Clayon Lockett writhed on the gurney, moaned and clenched his teeth for several minutes before prison officials tried to halt the process.
Correll’s execution was scheduled for February, but it was delayed as attorneys litigated whether a sedative used in the executions was constitutional.
Florida Department of Corrections spokesman McKinley Lewis said in a statement that his agency has the proper equipment to carry out Correll’s execution, but he wouldn’t discuss anything about its supply of execution drugs. The sedative is followed by drugs that cause paralysis and stop the heart.
The U.S. Supreme Court had the power to stay Correll’s execution, though that appeared unlikely.
“Essentially, we’re asking them not to allow the execution of someone under a statute that could be ruled unconstitutional”, said attorney Maria DeLiberato.
The Florida Supreme Court only agreed to move forward with his execution, after rejecting arguments that Correll’s drug abuse history could render the sedative useless.
Advertisement
While waiting for the outcome of the Oklahoma case, the Florida Supreme Court suspended all executions until the high court released its opinion. They cited Pope Francis’ call for an end to the death penalty in his September 24 address to a joint meeting of Congress during his USA visit.
