ATMORE, Ala. – Before the clock struck midnight on Thursday, Alabama officials halted the lethal injection of a man convicted of a fatal workplace shooting in 1999 due to time concerns and problems accessing the inmate’s veins.
At about 11:30 pm, state officials called off the scheduled execution of Alan Eugene Miller after authorities determined they could not complete the execution before a midnight deadline, Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said.
Early Friday morning, Hamm told the USA TODAY Network that prison staff could not establish intravenous access to deliver Miller’s lethal injection, so the execution was postponed.
Miller’s death sentence was scheduled to take place at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southwest Alabama near Altmore, some 50 miles from Mobile.
After it was halted, Miller was returned to his cell, Hamm said. He did not provide further details as to Miller’s condition of him.
“Due to the time constraints resulting from the lateness of the court proceedings, the execution was called off once it was determined the condemned’s veins could not be accessed in accordance with our protocol before the expiration of the deadline,” said Hamm.
The 57-year-old death row inmate was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing three people in a 1999 workplace rampage.
At the last minute reprieve
The last-minute reprieve came nearly three hours after a divided US Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to begin.
In a 5-4 decision, justices lifted an injunction issued by a federal judge and left in place by the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals that blocked Miller’s execution from going forward.
Miller’s defense attorneys said the state lost the paperwork requesting his execution be carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, a method legally available to him but never before used in the United States.
Carolina firing squad, electric chair issues:Judge finds South Carolina firing squad, electric chair unconstitutional
Alabama approved nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method in 2018.
At that time, state law gave inmates a brief window to designate it as their execution method. Miller testified that he turned in paperwork four years ago selecting nitrogen hypoxia as his execution method, putting the documents in a slot in his cell door at the Holman Correctional Facility for a prison worker to collect.
Lethal injection issues in Alabama:Alabama says it won’t be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 executed
Miller was sentenced to death for killing three men in two workplace shootings in 1999 in Shelby County just south of Birmingham.
An employee entering Ferguson Enterprises in Pelham saw Miller exit the building on Aug. 5, 1999, before finding Lee Holdbrooks and Scott Yancy dead inside.
Miller then drove to nearby Post Airgas, where he previously worked, and killed employee Terry Jarvis. The jury deliberated for 20 minutes before finding Miller guilty and recommended the death penalty, which a judge approved.
Contributing: The Associated Press and Montgomery Advertiser reporters Evan Mealins and Brian Lyman.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her de ella at [email protected] and follow her de ella on Twitter @nataliealund. Contact Evan Mealins at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins.
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism