Expert Weighs In On Botched Execution

Local Physician: Executioners Ignored Key Signs

POSTED: 3:35 am EST February 6, 2007

UPDATED: 7:55 am EST February 6, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- Dr. Denise Clark said executioners ignored clear signs something was wrong when they administered drugs to a convicted killer who took twice the normal time to die and had chemical burns in his arms.Clark testified before a panel reviewing Florida's lethal injection procedures.The Orlando physician said the executioners who reported trouble pushing a deadly chemical mix into the veins of Angel Nieves Diaz on Dec. 13 should have known their intravenous lines were not properly inserted. medical examiner's report said Diaz's execution took 34 minutes, which is twice as long as usual. The report said it required a rare second dose of lethal chemicals because the needles were incorrectly inserted through his veins and into the flesh in his arms, a medical examiner reported.