USA - Arizona - Donald Beaty, 56, white, was put to death by lethal injection using Pentobarbital

Donald Beaty, 56, white, was put to death by lethal injection after hours of legal delays in which his defense team fought to challenge the use of pentobarbital. Beaty was put to death for the May 9, 1984 murder of 13-year-old Christy Ann Fornoff. A string of last-minute state and federal appeals filed by Beaty's attorneys today focused on whether Arizona Department of Corrections officials could legally substitute the drug pentobarbital for sodium thiopental. 8 hours of legal debate took place in 3 cities - Phoenix, Washington D.C. and San Francisco - before appeals were exhausted and final preparations were made for Beaty's execution. In arguing for a stay, Beaty's attorneys said more time was needed to determine if the last-minute drug substitution - it was announced late yesterday - would infringe on Beaty's constitutional rights or constitute cruel and unusual punishment. They also suggested that corrections officials should have taken more time to train executioners in the use of pentobarbital, since it was not a part of the state's existing execution-drug protocol. The substitution was made at the request of federal authorities, who told state corrections officials Tuesday that the thiopental they proposed to use did not have the proper importation paperwork. It was then the corrections department disclosed that it had pentobarbital on hand as a substitute. The defense first took its pleas for more time to the Arizona Supreme Court during oral arguments Wednesday morning. The state's high court rejected the arguments several hours later after meeting behind closed doors. Rejections continued throughout the afternoon: first in U.S. District Court, then twice at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 2 other legal arguments put forth to block the execution. In the end, the courts recognized the state's right to substitute pentobarbital for thiopental. One judge noted during oral arguments that pentobarbital already had been reviewed by other courts and approved for executions. By 6 p.m. prison officials were cleared to proceed with the execution after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider further appeals. Beaty becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Arizona, and the 26th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1992. Beaty becomes the 19th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1253rd overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.