ST. LOUIS (AP) – An October execution date has been set for a Missouri inmate
with a rare medical condition who has argued that the execution process could
cause constitutionally cruel pain and suffering.
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday set an Oct. 1 execution date for Russell
Bucklew, who was convicted in the 1996 shooting death of a man who was living
with Bucklew’s former girlfriend.
Bucklew’s execution date has been set three times previously but halted over
concerns about his medical condition. The condition causes blood-filled tumors
to grow in his head, neck and throat. Bucklew says the throat tumor could burst
during the execution, causing him to choke on his own blood.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April the state could move ahead with the
execution.
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