A 46-year-old man is scheduled to be executed in Texas today, just days after another death-row inmate survived a botched lethal injection.
Keep reading to learn more.
Jamaal Howard is due to be put to death at around 6 p.m. on October 7 for the 2000 killing of petrol station worker Vicky Swartout.
But according to his spiritual advisor, Dr. Jeff Hood, Howard may not fully understand what is about to happen to him.
And that has raised serious questions about whether he understands the reality of his impending execution.
His Spiritual Advisor Says He Doesn’t Understand The Drugs Will Kill Him
Howard was convicted of killing Swartout when he was 20 years old.
According to his case records, he shot Swartout during a robbery at a Chevron station in Silsbee, Texas. Howard has continued to face legal challenges over whether he is competent to be executed.
His spiritual advisor, Dr. Jeff Hood, has argued that Howard is intellectually disabled and has described significant concerns about his ability to understand what is happening.
Speaking to the Metro, Hood recalled telling Howard about Christa Pike’s failed execution last week.
“I told Jamaal last week about what happened to Christa,” Hood said. “That the drugs didn’t work and she was now in hospital.”
But instead of reacting as Hood expected, Howard reportedly told him, “I am not worried, because the warden will just come and shoot me in the head.”
Hood said the response was “clearly not based in reality.”
Howard Apparently Thinks ‘Lethal Injection’ Means Something Else
Hood also described another disturbing conversation about the drugs that will be used in Howard’s execution.
“When you talk about the lethal injection drugs,” Hood said, “he thinks you are talking about drugs that would get you high or something.”
The spiritual advisor added that Howard “really has no idea it will end his life.”
Hood said his biggest fear is entering the execution chamber with Howard and hearing him say that he does not understand what is happening.
The question of whether a prisoner understands the punishment they are about to receive can have major constitutional implications, and Howard’s legal team has been seeking an evidentiary hearing focused on his competency.
The Execution Comes Just Days After Christa Pike Survived Hers
The timing of Howard’s scheduled execution is particularly striking.
On September 30, Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection. She survived after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, making her the first known person in the U.S. to survive a complete lethal-injection execution attempt.
Pike was initially unconscious and required hospitalization following the failed execution.
Then, on October 6, her attorneys revealed that she was conscious and speaking.
“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care,” her attorneys said.
They added that she had suffered severe damage to her arms and that her prognosis remained unclear, with a long recovery expected.
Pike’s Failed Execution Has Put Lethal Injection Under Scrutiny
The failed execution has already triggered major scrutiny in Tennessee.
Governor Bill Lee ordered a third-party review of what happened and halted the state’s remaining executions for the year. Tennessee officials have maintained that the execution protocol was followed, while Pike’s attorneys are seeking more information about the procedure and the injuries she suffered.
Now, as Howard faces his own scheduled execution, attention is once again turning to the use of lethal injection, and to the question of whether a condemned prisoner truly understands what is about to happen.
For Howard’s spiritual advisor, that question is painfully personal. “My worst fear is going into the chamber with him today, and him telling me he doesn’t know what’s going on,” he said.
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