LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attorneys for a Nevada death row inmate whose execution is on hold are telling the state Supreme Court that his execution using a never-before-tried lethal injection protocol would be less humane than a veterinary euthanasia.
Scott Raymond Dozier's lawyers also point in court filings Tuesday to a medical expert's opinion that the three-drug combination using a sedative, the powerful opioid fentanyl and a muscle paralytic poses a high probability of a botched execution.
None of the drugs has been used before in an execution in any state.
No date has been set for a state high court decision whether to uphold a Las Vegas judge's ruling postponing what would be the first execution in Nevada in 11 years.
The state attorney general argues the execution should go forward using the three drugs.