Arkansas wrapped up an aggressive execution schedule Thursday, putting to death its fourth inmate in eight days.
Kenneth Williams, 38, received a lethal injection Thursday night at the Cummins Unit prison at Varner for the death of a former deputy warden killed after Williams escaped from prison in 1999. At the time of his escape in a 500-gallon barrel of hog slop, Williams was less than three weeks into a life term for the death of a college cheerleader.
Arkansas had scheduled eight executions over an 11-day period before one of its lethal injection drugs expires at the end of April, the most in such a short period since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Among the four lethal injections was Monday's first double execution in the United States since 2000. Courts issued stays for four other inmates.
State officials have declared the string of executions a success. The inmates have died within 20 minutes of the start of their executions, a contrast from midazolam-related executions in other states that took anywhere from 43 minutes to two hours. The inmates' lawyers have said there are still flaws and that there is no certainty that the inmates aren't suffering while they die.
Arkansas scheduled the executions for the final two weeks of April because its supply of midazolam, normally a surgical sedative, expires Sunday. The Arkansas Department of Correction has said it has no new source for the drug, though it has made similar remarks previously yet still found more.
Capital punishment has been abolished in 19 U.S. states, but remains legal in 31.
