Authorities in the US state of Mississippi have executed a prisoner with a new drug used to euthanize animals, following similar practices in other states.
Benny Joe Stevens, 52, became the first man to be executed with pentobarbital in Mississippi. The new drug replaced sodium thiopental, which is facing a nationwide shortage.
Stevens, who was convicted in 1999 of killing four people, including his ex-wife and her husband, was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. local time on Tuesday (0022 GMT on Wednesday) at the State Penitentiary at Parchman, the Associated Press reported.
“Forgive me … what I did was a terrible thing. There's no forgiveness for what I did,” said Stevens.
The new drug has been used in several states over the past week, including Texas, Ohio and South Carolina.
The animal drug is expected to be used in the execution of Rodney Gray on May 17 and Robert Simon Jr. on May 24.
In 2010, 46 people were executed in the United States, six fewer than the previous year, according to the center data.
AO/AKM
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