In brief
Texas carried out the lethal injection of Jamaal Howard on Wednesday, marking the first U.S. execution since the botched attempt on Christa Pike last week. Howard, convicted of a 2000 murder, faced a denied stay after arguing that the drug pentobarbital used in Texas was the same de‑graded one used on Pike. Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeals, while Governor Greg Abbott refused to grant a delay. In a final statement, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family before his death.
Jamaal Howard was executed by lethal injection last Wednesday, marking the first U.S. execution since a failed attempt on Christa Pike last week.
Howard, 46, was convicted in 2000 of murdering a convenience store clerk in a robbery that left the victim Vickie Swartout dead.
His attorneys sought a stay, arguing that Texas would use the same pentobarbital drug that had caused the botched injection on Pike and that the drug supply might be degraded.
Courts denied the requests, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal. Governor Greg Abbott declined the request to delay the execution.
Before his death, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family, saying, “I wish that you accept my apology… I am sorry for what happened.”
