Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
International

Ronald Smith, Canadian On Death Row Awaits Outcome Of Challenge Of Montana's Execution Methods

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Sep, 2015 11:15 AM
  • Ronald Smith, Canadian On Death Row Awaits Outcome Of Challenge Of Montana's Execution Methods
CALGARY — A constitutional challenge to Montana’s execution methods could have a direct impact on a Canadian on death row in the U.S. state.
 
Lawyers for two condemned inmates, including Ronald Smith of Red Deer, Alta., are in a Helena courtroom arguing that a sedative called for under Montana's lethal injection protocols could lead to an "excruciating and terrifying" death.
 
Ron Waterman of the American Civil Liberties Union says the drug pentobarbital doesn't adhere to a state law requiring an “ultra-fast-acting” barbiturate be used.
 
The hearing is to include testimony from medical experts who could shed light on pentobarbital's effects.
 
Doctors have indicated that "ultra-fast-acting" isn't a common medical term, which makes it difficult to form a definitive opinion on its application.
 
Waterman isn't expecting an immediate ruling on what he says is a complicated case.
 
"The judge knows that his opinion will be reviewed by the Montana Supreme Court regardless of how he rules, so he will take the time and be careful with his opinion," Waterman said in an email.
 
"At this point, he needs to consider the credibility of the two principal witnesses and therefore he will do so and weigh out both sides before entering any decision."
 
The hearing is set for two days and District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock is expected to reserve his decision.
 
Smith, who turns 57 next week, was convicted in 1983 for shooting Harvey Madman Jr. and Thomas Running Rabbit while he was high on drugs and alcohol near East Glacier, Mont.
 
He had been taking 30 to 40 hits of LSD and consuming between 12 and 18 beers a day at the time of the murders. He refused a plea deal that would have seen him avoid death row and spend the rest of his life in prison.
 
Three weeks later, he pleaded guilty. He asked for and was given a death sentence. Smith later had a change of heart and has been fighting for his life ever since. He has had a number of execution dates set and overturned.
 
The civil liberties union filed a lawsuit in 2008 on behalf of Smith and another death-row inmate in Montana. It argued that lethal injections the state was using were cruel and unusual punishment and violated the right to human dignity.
 
Sherlock ruled in 2012 that the injections were unconstitutional. He also pointed to a lack of training for individuals who administer the drugs and to a discrepancy over whether two or three drugs should be used.
 
The judge ordered the current trial to determine whether new drugs would satisfy requirements.

MORE International ARTICLES

Greece Crisis Hits Indian Equity; BSE Sensex Falls 166 Points

Greece Crisis Hits Indian Equity; BSE Sensex Falls 166 Points
A barometer index of the Indian equity markets suffered a massive fall during the day's trade, partially recovered, and yet ended in the red as anxiety grew over the outcome of the Greece debt crisis on Monday.

Greece Crisis Hits Indian Equity; BSE Sensex Falls 166 Points

Two Indians Killed In Kuwait Blast

Two Indians Killed In Kuwait Blast
Rizwan Hussain, 31, of Sultanpur and Ibne Abbas, 25, of Ambedkar Nagar were both from Uttar Pradesh, an embassy statement said.

Two Indians Killed In Kuwait Blast

Ukrainians Clamour For Canadian TV Content And Hardware As Plug Pulled On Russian Shows

Ukrainians Clamour For Canadian TV Content And Hardware As Plug Pulled On Russian Shows
 "The Littlest Hobo," "Anne of Green Gables," maybe even "Flashpoint" could find a new lease on life in Ukraine as the country's broadcasting council scrambles to fill TV screens with something other than Russian programming

Ukrainians Clamour For Canadian TV Content And Hardware As Plug Pulled On Russian Shows

Indian High Commissioner To New Zealand Recalled After Wife Accused Of Assaulting Cook

Indian High Commissioner To New Zealand Recalled After Wife Accused Of Assaulting Cook
India on Saturday asked its envoy in New Zealand to return following allegations that his wife assaulted a member of the domestic staff.

Indian High Commissioner To New Zealand Recalled After Wife Accused Of Assaulting Cook

Obama Praises Nikki Haley For Lead On Confederate Flag Issue

Obama Praises Nikki Haley For Lead On Confederate Flag Issue
President Barack Obama praised South Carolina's Indian-American governor Nikki Haley for calling for the removal of slavery era Confederate flag from the State Capitol grounds 150 years after the end of the US Civil War.

Obama Praises Nikki Haley For Lead On Confederate Flag Issue

Indian-Origin US Envoy Richard Verma Recalls Troubles Of 'A Minus' In School Report Card

Indian-Origin US Envoy Richard Verma Recalls Troubles Of 'A Minus' In School Report Card
Verma said his father graduated from DAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab, over 60 years ago, before migrating to the US to teach

Indian-Origin US Envoy Richard Verma Recalls Troubles Of 'A Minus' In School Report Card