It is way to early for me to be reading news stories about how some a-hole on death role is claiming that he’s too fat to be executed. And yet thanks to Tamarama, I am reading that exact story.
Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey — 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds — had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.
…
His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, said in documents filed with the court.
Someone tell me that this is a joke and the Onion is writing for CNN today. I can’t believe that we are seriously considering not executing someone who raped and murdered two women because he’s “too fat” and that finding his veins might cause him “unnecessary suffering”. I reckon that preventing his unnecessary suffering is a whole lot more important than administering the legal punishment for the “unnecessary suffering” that he caused the two women that he raped and murdered.
Too fat to be executed, really? It’s too bad that Ohio doesn’t have firing squads any more, because you’re not too fat for a bullet to your fat face.
it is really simple, DC his Topomax two weeks before and give him twice the lethal drugs needed by weight. If they can not get a vein, then an IO port would work fine.
The phrase “cruel and unusual” comes to mind.
So put him on a 1500 calorie diet and have him break rocks until he’s down to a low enough wait, then kill the fucker.
firing squads, hanging and beheading are not both Cruel AND unusual, lets bring em back.