Pharmacy refuses to give drug for execution

TULSA (AP):

An Oklahoma pharmacy has agreed not to provide a drug for a scheduled execution next week in Missouri as part of a settlement with the death row inmate's attorneys. But it's unclear whether the deal will prevent or delay the lethal injection.

Attorneys for death row inmate Michael Taylor had filed a lawsuit against The Apothecary Shoppe, a compounding pharmacy in Tulsa that they said was providing a drug that could cause "inhumane pain" during Taylor's February 26 execution.

lawsuit dropped

In court documents filed late Monday, his lawyers notified the judge they were dropping the lawsuit because the company had agreed not to prepare or provide any drug for use in Taylor's lethal injection. The pharmacy also acknowledged it had not already provided any drug to the Missouri Department of Corrections for the execution, said Taylor's attorney, Matt Hellman.

However, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon indicated last week that the state could move forward with the execution even after the judge issued a temporary restraining order that blocked the company from providing the drug. He did not say "yes" or "no" when asked if Missouri had enough drugs for the execution, but twice stressed that the Department of Corrections was prepared.