The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of one of the drugs used in Oklahoma's drug cocktail for lethal injections.
Three death row inmates claimed the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The justices disagreed by a five to four margin. That now clears the way to schedule the executions of those inmates.
For every inmate who sits on Oklahoma's death row, there is a family that is waiting for justice. One them is the Tulsa family of Brooke Whitaker and her baby daughter Kya.
They were murdered by Brooke's ex-boyfriend eight years ago this month. Her aunt applauds today's Supreme Court decision.
"He took our precious girls from us. And he just needs to go away," says Angie Short.
On June 23, 2007, Short's niece, Brooke Whitaker was attacked in her Tulsa home by her ex-boyfriend, Raymond Johnson. It was a brutal crime that shocked even experienced detectives. Johnson beat Brooke with a hammer and set her on fire along with her 7-month-old daughter Kya. Raymond Johnson was sentenced to die for their murders.
Short says the Supreme Court made the right decision in declaring Oklahoma's lethal injection cocktail as legal. Her only concern is for any further delays the legal objection may have added on the already lengthy appeals process for death row inmates.
"So it's good news to me that things are going to move on. And they won't be delayed anymore hopefully.. and Raymond Johnson will move up the line."
Short says she will be there to witness Raymond Johnson's execution, and that day she says can't get here soon enough for her family.
"I will be there. May family wants to be there. Some people may think that's barbaric. But what he did to my family, no one understands the pain that we have to go through every single day."
So far no date has been set for Raymond Johnson's execution.
As for the three inmates who filed the objection, State Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced late Monday has instructed the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to go ahead and set execution dates for those men.
http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/...ction-decision
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