USA - Florida. The Florida Supreme Court has stayed the August 2nd execution of Manuel Valle to hold a hearing on the new lethal injection protocol

The Florida Supreme Court has stayed the August 2nd execution of Manuel Valle. In a 4-3 vote, the court ordered a Miami judge to hold a hearing on the Department of Correction's new lethal injection protocol and postpone Valle's execution from August 2 to September 1. Last month, Florida substituted pentobarbital for sodium thiopental as the first drug in its three-drug protocol for executions. Valle's lawyers contend that the use of pentobarbital would subject him to a substantial risk of harm because the drug has never been tested on humans for the purpose of inducing an anesthetic coma. Valle was convicted of killing police officer Louis Pena in April 1978.