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Virginia Prepares Lethal Injection That Previously “Drowned” Prisoner

HeadlineJul 06, 2017

In Virginia, prison officials are preparing to kill a condemned man using a three-drug lethal injection cocktail that critics say will lead to a torturous death equivalent to drowning. Thirty-five-year-old William Morva is scheduled to receive the lethal drugs at 9 p.m. this evening at the Greensville Correctional Center. According to autopsy records, the last prisoner killed by Virginia six months ago, Ricky Gray, died after the same lethal injection method brought on acute pulmonary edema—effectively drowning Gray in blood-tinged fluid he coughed up during the execution. Morva’s attorneys argue the approach is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual.

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