Toledo Attorney Angry Over Botched Executions

Toledo Attorney Angry Over Botched Executions

WTOL-TV in Toledo
May 25, 2007

http://tinyurl.com/2ut7o6

TOLEDO -- Toledo attorney Alan Konop says Thursday's execution of
Christopher Newton is an unfortunate repeat of what happened this time last
year to his client, Joe Clark.
Konop wants Governor Strickland to halt all executions until the Bureau of
Prisons figures out how to stop this from happening again. (See attached
story about Newton's execution.)
Toledo native Joe Clark was convicted of the 1984 murder of David Manning at
a gas station on Airport Highway. Last May, he was executed. But it took
almost 90 minutes, because they couldn't find the right veins in his arms.
"He actually got up and said, 'Stop it, you're not doing it right,' " Konop
said.
Family members told Konop what Clark went through on the gurney.
But should anyone, especially the victim's family, be expected to feel
sympathy for this convicted killer? A man who was also sentenced to life in
prison for killing another clerk the night before?
"I don't think there's any civilized society that feels that a person who's
been sentenced to death should be tortured to death," Konop argues.
The brother of murder victim David Manning told News 11 he firmly believes
in the death penalty, but actually agrees with Konop. Mike Manning said: "I
believe in the constitutionality of the death penalty. In other words, you
should not have to suffer because of the state."
Next month, Konop says he will file a civil lawsuit against the State of
Ohio for "cruel and unusual punishment" in how Clark was put to death.
"We hope that if the state sees that they can be liable for damages, that
they will take a new and fresh look at how they carry out executions," Konop
said.