Investigation Into Controversial Oklahoma Execution Continues

Lockett's final meal request exceeded the state's price limit and he refused to eat anything else. Now the question is, could his lack of food and possible lack of liquid cause his vein to fail?

Friday, May 2nd 2014, 7:48 pm

By: News 9

Investigation Into Controversial Oklahoma Execution Continues

Clayton Lockett's final meal request exceeded the state's price limit and he refused to eat anything else. Now the question is, could his lack of food and possible lack of liquid cause his vein to fail?

Chateaubriand steak, fried shrimp, large baked potato and an entire Kentucky bourbon pecan pie. Those are some of the final meal request made by death row inmate Clayton Lockett. After being denied, Lockett refused to eat any alternatives.

"Are there things he tried to do to create a certain result, let's investigate," said ACLU's Brady Henderson.

Henderson feels the possibility of Lockett sabotaging his own execution can never truly be determined.

"He's the only one who really knows and he can't tell us anymore," said Henderson.

Henderson says the lack of food and liquid should be part of the investigation into Lockett's execution. Dr. Mary Ann Bauman knows the difficulty of finding a vein in a dehydrated individual.

"When you put the band on it just doesn't come up enough for you to see the vein," said Physician Dr. Mary Ann Bauman.

The phlebotomist examining Lockett could not find a viable point of entry in Lockett's arms, legs, feet and neck, eventually putting the IV in the groin area.

"It would be unusual for that vein to collapse, it is a large vein. We usually see the collapsing in the smaller veins," said Bauman.

That leads to speculation the vein was only nicked, causing the fluid to slowly absorb in the tissue or leak out.

"Which would cause it to weaken and when you inject the IV fluids you can get bulging and breaking of the vein," said Bauman.

But the answer must wait for the Oklahoma department of public safety.

"If we focus too much on what Lockett was doing we might miss an opportunity to fix something that we were doing and be able to update our protocol and process," said Henderson.

As for Lockett taking 10 minutes to register unconscious, Bauman believes Lockett's body was absorbing the Midazolam through his tissue which takes much longer.

Officials say Lockett's autopsy report could take two to three months to complete, while the investigation should be finished within eight to 12 weeks.

Department Of Corrections Letter Regarding Clayton Lockett