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Lawyers: Nevada execution plan worse than pet euthanasia

Posted at 4:08 PM, Jan 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-23 19:08:23-05

Attorneys for a Nevada death row inmate whose execution is on hold are telling the state Supreme Court that his execution using a never-before-tried lethal injection protocol would be less humane than a veterinary euthanasia.

Scott Raymond Dozier's lawyers also point in court filings Tuesday to a medical expert's opinion that the three-drug combination using a sedative, the powerful opioid fentanyl and a muscle paralytic poses a high probability of a botched execution.

None of the drugs has been used before in an execution in any state.

No date has been set for a state high court decision whether to uphold a Las Vegas judge's ruling postponing what would be the first execution in Nevada in 11 years.

The state attorney general argues the execution should go forward using the three drugs.