Here our illustrious Senior Editor takes on the Kansas City Red Star over their grating holier-than-though story line on the capital punishment delivered on a vicious murderer in Oklahoma. The Quad City Times online edition had numerous links to the story, referring to it as the “botched” execution and promulgating the matter as an international incident. The stories have a similar narrative – the brutality of Oklahoma on pitiable Clayton Locket.
Dear Kansas City Star Editorial Board Members,
“A botched execution…left an Oklahoma inmate writhing and clenching his teeth on the gurney…leading prison officials to halt proceedings before the inmate’s eventual death from a heart attack”.
That was the “heartbreaking” lede to the story of Clayton Lockett, convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Oklahoma as presented to readers by the Star on Wednesday.
“Lockett, 38, was declared unconscious 10 minutes after the …new three-drug combination was administered.
“Three minutes later, though, he began breathing heavily, writhing on the gurney, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow.
“It was a horrible thing to witness. This was totally botched”, said Lockett’s attorney.
In 22+ column inches, the story, headlined on page one, described in great detail the agony suffered by Mr. Lockett apparently due to a failure of the drugs used by the state of Oklahoma intended to provide as comfortable a demise for condemned prisoners as possible. In addition to the detailed narrative of Mr. Lockett’s terrible plight, the Star devoted most of the story to the execution drugs now being used, particularly by the state of Missouri, in the aftermath of certain drugmakers having stopped selling them to prisons and correction departments because of their opposition to capital punishment. That sentiment is obviously shared by the Star from the slant of the your report and verified by your editorial on Thursday. (No surprise there. If there is a liberal cause in need of coverage, the Star is all over it.)
The story, apparently a collaboration of the AP and Star writers, also devoted one entire sentence to the victim for which Mr. Lockett was sentenced to death, and that only in the fourth paragraph from the end of the piece.
Almost all of the rest of the story was devoted to controversy over the type of drugs used in executions, who they are supplied by, further descriptions of what Mr. Lockett endured, and specific criticism of courts which have rejected claims by states, including Missouri, that “secretive procedures could expose inmates to painful executions”.
A remarkable story, likely to win another award for reporting for the Star.
Readers, however, may be wondering if Mr. Lockett’s attorney would have been equally horrified had he witnessed Mr. Lockett’s execution of Stephanie Neiman, his 19 year old victim in what the Star could have headlined as a “botched robbery/home invasion?”
Did Ms. Neiman “writhe in agony” as she was being buried alive after being shot twice by the shotgun wielding Mr. Lockett ? Did the luckless Mr. Lockett thoughtfully administer any drugs to ease her pain while she possibly “clenched her teeth” and “breathed heavily”?
Did she “strain to lift her head” in a desperate effort to breathe as she was being buried while poor Mr. Lockett laughed?
Unlike the Star’s editors, I’m not quite sharing their pain for Mr. Lockett. I don’t feel that executions of legally convicted killers should not be carried out humanely. I am not an advocate for “cruel and unusual” punishment. However, there is another principle often cited, even by anti-death penalty activists: “The punishment should fit the crime”. What punishment fits the “cruel and unusual” crimes inflicted on 19 year old Stephanie Neiman?
But, may I indulge my sentiments to some extent by suggesting that the Star’s editors exercise a little restraint as they eagerly seek to advance their agenda. Sure, use your editorial prerogatives but it would be refreshingly professional if you were less zealous in using supposed news stories to promote your opinions.
May I also suggest an alternative lede to your vivid recounting of Mr. Lockett’s sad experience:
“Clayton Lockett, the 38 year old career criminal who sexually assaulted and murdered 19 year old Stephanie Neiman in a botched home invasion in 1999, was executed last night at the Oklahoma state prison in McAlister.
“Lockett was pronounced dead at 7:06 pm after experiencing some discomfort, possibly due to errors in the administration of drugs intended to make his execution as pain-free as possible.
“Because of the possibility that the execution drugs may not be as effective as thought, or were improperly dosed, the execution of Lockett’s fellow inmate, Charles Warner, scheduled for the same night, was postponed. Warner received the death penalty for the rape and murder of his roommate’s 11-month old daughter in 1997.”
I will admit, such a lede, while at least as informative as the one your paper chose would not have sufficiently provided the desired sensational impact you obviously felt necessary to drive home your views.
And then, there’s your followup editorial Thursday. You know the one. It drips with sanctimony…and it provides new information for us, your “insensitive” readers. We learn from witnesses that Mr. Lockett , as he writhed on his gurney that he was heard to say”oh man”. Isn’t it a shame, though, that the final agonized moments in the life of Mr. Dockett’s victim, Stephanie Neiman was not so well documented. Would observers heard her also utter those pitiful words, “oh man’, as the dirt covered her head?
We also learn from your editorial that the Star’s editorial board is , laudably, as sympathetic toward Ms. Neiman as you are to the unfortunate Mr. Dockett, as you note that, both the executions, like the crimes that prompt the punishment, are ugly business! Yes, indeed!
As a final thought, I know that the editors of the Star share my fervent hope that Mr. Warner is not similarly discomforted as Mr. Lockett…or as his 11 month old victim was.
Sincerely, Donald L. Holmes
Ed note: the following link was provided to the Kansas City Star in case they thought it relevant: Why were the two inmates in Oklahoma on death row in the first place?
