Oklahoma prisons chief ‘confident’ in execution process, staff

OKLAHOMA CITY – One week before a man’s scheduled execution for killing a baby, the director of Oklahoma’s prison system said he’s confident in his staff’s ability to carry out the first lethal injection in the state since one went awry in April.

Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton told the Board of Corrections on Thursday that the prison staff at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester has worked hard to prepare for the execution and three others planned soon.

“The staff at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections has trained very, very hard, and I’m very confident in their abilities,” said Patton, who declined further comment because the new execution protocols still are being challenged in court.

Charles Warner is scheduled to die next Thursday for the 1997 killing of his roommate’s 11-month-old daughter. Warner was scheduled to be executed the same night as Clayton Lockett, whose lethal injection went awry when an intravenous line failed. Patton tried to halt Lockett’s execution after he writhed on the gurney, moaned and clenched his teeth, but Lockett died 43 minutes after the execution began.

After a state investigation, prison officials made several changes, including backup execution drugs and more training for staff.