Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Idaho moves to toss legal challenge to its execution method

Here's a news item from the Associated Press:  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Department of Correction has asked a federal judge to reject a lawsuit over the state's method of execution, saying its newly revised lethal injection policy mirrors other states whose methods have already passed muster with the courts. The motion to dismiss was filed late Friday. It comes in response to a lawsuit filed by death row inmate Paul Ezra Rhoades last month. Rhoades, who was convicted of three murders in Idaho Falls and Blackfoot in 1988, says lethal injections are frequently botched and that Idaho's protocol doesn't require enough training for its executioners. Rhoades also contends that there are several other problems with Idaho's execution policy and that they would render his execution unconstitutional.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: