Death Penalty Challenge

The Mississippi Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 decision Thursday, rules “Charles Ray Crawford” can question the use of midazolam the drug used in executions, in state court. Lawyers for Crawford say the sedative won’t make an inmate unconscious, meaning he could feel pain as executioners administer a second drug to paralyze him and a third drug to stop his heart. Lawyers for an inmate in Alabama said his movements during an execution last week proved he was never properly numbed. Mississippi has not executed anyone since 2012. The State Supreme Court has avoided setting execution dates during challenges to execution methods.