Investigative Report: Missouri Lied About Execution Drugs

A recent investigative report indicates that Missouri officials may have been untruthful on the type of drug they have used on death row inmates since 2013.

A recent investigative report by the St. Louis Public Radio indicates that although Missouri officials have told the courts and lawyers that they use only one drug to carry out its executions, they have reportedly been using a controversial sedative as well.

The recent investigative report used court records to determine that Missouri officials reportedly used the controversial sedative that has resulted in botched executions in other states, including Ohio and Oklahoma.

"This goes beyond hiding things. This is an issue of them deliberately misleading the (inmates), the lawyers, the courts and the general public," Kathryn Parish, a lawyer representing a Missouri inmate set for execution, told Reuters.

The state has defended its actions, saying that sedatives used prior to the execution do not count as part of the execution process.

In August, two media groups sued the state of Oklahoma for allegedly violating the freedom of the press when they refused to allow reporters to view the highly-publicized, botched execution of inmate Clayton Lockett in April.

The two media groups, the Guardian U.S. and the Oklahoma Observer, argue in their lawsuits that a transparent relationship must be maintained between the state and the press to ensure basic human rights are being met during the execution process.

"The state of Oklahoma violated the First Amendment, which guarantees the right of the press to witness executions so the public can be informed about the government's actions and hold it accountable," Lee Rowland, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed. "The death penalty represents the most powerful exercise of government authority. The need for public oversight is as critical at the execution stage as it is during trial."