Officials in Idaho on Wednesday halted the execution of death row inmate Thomas Creech after they were unable to set an intravenous line to carry out a lethal injection, according to a news release from the state Department of Corrections.
The failed execution – which was to be the state’s first in 12 years, according to the non-profit Death Penalty Information Center – is the latest example of a state struggling to carry out a lethal injection because of officials’ inability to establish an IV line. Alabama in 2022 called off two executions after officials couldn’t access the inmates’ veins.
The execution of Creech, 73, was “unable to proceed” around 11 a.m., about an hour after it was expected to begin, Department of Corrections Director Josh Tewalt determined, according to a news release. Tewalt consulted with the medical team leader and “determined that the medical team could not establish an IV line.”
“Mr. Creech will be returned to his cell and witnesses will be escorted out of the facility. As a result, the death warrant will expire,” the release said. “The State will consider next steps.”
