Title: Serial killer Joseph Franklin executed after hours of delay | CNN
Headings: Serial killer Joseph Franklin executed after hours of delay
Serial killer Joseph Franklin executed after hours of delay
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Battle over drugs used

Content: Flynt, who was paralyzed by Franklin’s bullet, has called for clemency for Franklin, saying “the government has no business at all being in the business of killing people.” Battle over drugs used
One of Franklin’s final legal maneuvers focused on the drug used for the lethal injection, pentobarbital. His attorneys argued that the injection would violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey granted a stay of execution, finding Franklin’s lawyers showed the use of pentobarbital carried “a high risk of contamination and prolonged, unnecessary pain beyond that which is required to achieve death.” An intimate discussion with a serial killer
“Given the irreversible nature of the death penalty and plaintiffs’ medical evidence and allegations, a stay is necessary to ensure that the defendants’ last act against Franklin is not permanent, irremediable cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment,” Laughrey wrote. Another federal judge granted a second stay Tuesday, based on a separate defense petition contesting Franklin’s competency. “The Court concludes that a stay of execution is required to permit a meaningful review,” U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson wrote. The state appealed both stays to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which decided early Wednesday that Franklin’s lawyers had not provided enough evidence to warrant a stay. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Franklin’s requests to step in and halt the execution. Missouri had planned to use propofol, the surgical anesthetic made infamous by the death of pop star Michael Jackson.