Q&A: Details on botched execution in Oklahoma and what happens next

Calvin Lockett writhed and grimaced during his botched execution in Oklahoma on Tuesday, and even though the convict was supposed to die, the manner of his slow death, has touched off a renewed furor over capital punishment in the United States. According to witnesses and the state’s official comment, Lockett, a convicted murderer and rapist, was brought to the execution chamber and an intravenous line was inserted into his vein. Attorneys seeking to block executions have fought these secrecy laws, arguing the information is needed to determine whether capital convicts would face cruel and unusual punishment. Last month, Oklahoma County District Judge Patricia Parrish ruled that the state’s secrecy laws were unconstitutional because they prevented the courts and inmates from obtaining needed information.