Judge OKs Execution of Russell Bucklew, Missouri Inmate With Birth Defect

[joeybee12]

A federal judge has refused to stop Wednesday's execution of a Missouri prisoner who argued a rare birth defect would make any lethal injection excruciating and unconstitutional.

Dismissing a civil rights lawsuit filed by death-row inmate Russell Bucklew, the court also tossed out his request to have the execution videotaped as evidence of his suffering.

Bucklew's lawyers said they would appeal.

"Mr. Bucklew has a tumor growing in his face and head which causes him to experience bleeding, intense pain, and difficulty breathing," attorney Cheryl Pilate said in a statement.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/lethal-injection/judge-oks-execution-russell-bucklew-missouri-inmate-birth-defect-n109326

[Warpy]

1. The judge must have talked to a doctor

Most cavernous hemangiomas are asymptomatic. There is no evidence of facial involvement in those pictures, although there is a slight facial droop, possibly from a hemangioma in his brain.

In that case, it could be argued that the growing tumor could have affected his judgment when he committed his crime.

I'm against the DP, but the defense lawyer did her client no favors in this case. Perhaps she should have talked to a neurologist who would have given her the growing tumor leading to poor judgment argument. That one might have been effective.

[joeybee12]

2. What bothers me about what the judge said...

The complaint appears to allege there is no constitutional way to execute him.

Well, duh, yeah...that's the whole freaking point.