(UPDATE: The exe­cu­tions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner were stayed until April 22 and 29 respec­tive­ly.) Oklahoma does not have the nec­es­sary drugs to car­ry out the upcom­ing exe­cu­tions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner, sched­uled for March 20 and 26. According to a brief filed on behalf of the Department of Corrections, the depart­ment has made a ​“Herculean effort” to obtain pen­to­bar­bi­tal and vecuro­ni­um bro­mide for the lethal injec­tions, but still lacks a sup­ply of either drug. The brief said that a deal to obtain the two drugs from a phar­ma­cy had fall­en through, but it did not name the phar­ma­cy. The state’s death penal­ty statute lists two alter­na­tive meth­ods of exe­cu­tion, but they can only be used if lethal injec­tion is ruled uncon­sti­tu­tion­al. Federal pub­lic defend­er Madeline Cohen said, ​“It’s stun­ning news to us that the state does not have the means to car­ry out a legal exe­cu­tion right now, and it gives us deep cause for con­cern that they are cou­pling that rev­e­la­tion with an insis­tence on shroud­ing the process in secre­cy.” Both Lockett and Warner have argued it is improp­er for Oklahoma to car­ry out exe­cu­tions behind a ​“veil of secre­cy,” pre­vent­ing them from obtain­ing infor­ma­tion about the drugs to be used in their executions.

(B. McBride, ​“Oklahoma Lacks Drugs for Upcoming Executions,” Associated Press, March 17, 2014). See Lethal Injection and Upcoming Executions.

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