Lawyers for the four men executed by Arkansas in the past week were set on Friday to ask a federal judge to force the state to preserve evidence from its death chamber. The request, the first step towards a thorough investigation, came amid fears that the prisoners might have been subjected to excruciating pain, tantamount to torture.



Arkansas’ unprecedented burst of executions – it tried to carry out eight in 11 days – is over. But it has re-inflamed opposition to the death penalty in the US and sparked a major legal battle, involving drug companies objecting to the use of their products to kill people, that could have long-term consequences.

Eyewitnesses to two of the four executions in Arkansas reported disturbing signs of distress on the part of the condemned men as they were being killed on the gurney. On Thursday night Kenneth Williams’ body shook for up to 20 seconds, with reports of him coughing, convulsing, lurching and jerking in rapid succession. Even when the microphone had been turned off, he could be heard through the viewing glass, moaning and gasping.

Three days before that, Marcel Williams was seen to arch his back countless times and breathe heavily even after a consciousness check was carried out to make sure he was insensate.

Shawn Nolan, a lawyer for Kenneth Williams, said a joint filing would be lodged with a federal court on Friday to oblige the state department of corrections to preserve evidence including materials used in the executions and records of drug levels, timings and so on. He described the death of his client as “horrifying”.

Speaking to the Guardian the morning after the execution, Nolan said: “Our client was effectively tortured last night and that’s not acceptable. The state did this so haphazardly and it went horrifically wrong.”

Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor who was the architect of what has been called a “conveyor belt of death”, denied that any mishap had occurred. His spokesman described the Kenneth Williams execution as “flawless” and said the prisoner’s convulsions had been the result of an “involuntary muscular reaction”.

But the state’s attempts to put the events of the past 10 days behind it are unlikely to be successful. Campaigners are seizing on the sudden burst of executions in Arkansas as a potentially crucial moment in the fight over the death penalty.

At the heart of that fight are the drugs that are being used by death penalty states across the US. Maya Foa, director of the human rights group Reprieve, which has led the charge against pharmaceutical drugs being used in death chambers, said drug companies had displayed new resolve in standing up to Arkansas.

“Drug companies have shown that they are absolutely prepared to do what it takes to enforce their contracts and ensure that their medicines are not misused – they will stand up to it,” she said.

Two major drug companies, Fresenius Kabi USA and West-Ward Pharmaceuticals Corp, as well as one of the largest medical supply companies in the US, McKesson, sued the state over its intention to kill people using chemicals designed to save lives. McKesson went furthest, effectively charging the Arkansas department of corrections with lying in order to obtain a batch of one of the drugs used in its triple lethal injection cocktail.

Four of the eight condemned inmates in Arkansas were spared execution – for now – through court-directed stays. They still remain on death row and could have new death warrants issued at any time.

However, Arkansas will struggle to proceed with further killings because its batch of midazolam, the sedative used in the first of its three lethal injections, runs out this weekend and drug companies refuse to provide new supplies.

It is thought the state still has enough of the second drug, vecuronium bromide, to kill up to 13 prisoners by its expiry date next March, and a similar capacity of potassium chloride expiring in August 2018.

Focus now switches to the five death penalty states that have scheduled 15 executions through the remainder of the year: Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. The first of those planned executions, of convicted murderer Ronald Phillips, is set to take place on 10 May in Ohio.

The department of corrections in Ohio does have sufficient quantities of midazolam, rocuronium bromide and potassium chloride to carry out multiple executions by triple lethal injection. But condemned prisoners have challenged the state’s death protocol, with a particular emphasis on the first drug, midazolam, that has been associated with several botched killings over the past few years.

The case is currently before the full bench of the federal sixth circuit court of appeals. Unless its judges rule for the state, Ohio’s executions will remain on hold. Lawyers representing the death row inmates are certain to seize on events in Arkansas as further evidence of the problems of midazolam, which as a sedative and not an anaesthetic, is an unusual agent for rendering individuals unconscious.

Allen Bohnert, a federal public defender in Ohio who represents Phillips, said his legal team was looking forward “to presenting compelling evidence to the full sixth circuit panel regarding midazolam’s unsuitability as an execution drug”.

Question marks also remain over the secrecy now universally applied by death penalty states over the source of their drugs. In Arkansas, media witnesses were not allowed to observe the placing of IV lines in the prisoners’ veins, as the death chamber’s curtain remained closed.

The state also failed to provide public information on the precise timing of the three lethal injections. As a result, it was impossible to tell whether Kenneth Williams was fully unconscious at a time when the paralytic second drug and the final potassium chloride were administered. Were he still remotely conscious at the time of the potassium injection, he would have felt a sensation that has been described as similar to a flamethrower shooting fire down his veins.

“It is very disturbing to read witness accounts that Mr Williams was breathing and moving at the time of the consciousness check, because subsequent administration of the paralytic would hide any conscious suffering he experienced,” said Megan McCracken of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley school of law.
• Jacob Rosenberg is a reporter with the Arkansas Times</s>The tornadoes and flooding were part of the same storm system as Southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas received up to 11 inches of rain, according to Weather.com . Five of the people died when at least three tornadoes struck Texas east of Dallas in Eustace, Caney City and Canton on Saturday night, Van Zandt County officials said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at UPI.</s>More damage and casualties could be discovered Sunday after severe flooding and tornadoes killed at least seven people and injured dozens in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, authorities said.

At least three tornadoes touched down in east Texas, leaving five people dead, Van Zandt County officials said.

The body of a 72-year-old woman was recovered in southwestern Missouri after flood waters washed away her car.

Another woman died Saturday after a tree fell on her mobile home in De Witt, Arkansas, about 80 miles east of Little Rock, according to police.

Tornadoes ripping through north Texas left widespread destruction and more than 50 people injured, officials said.

More than 30 million Americans remain under flash flood watches and warnings Sunday as the storm moves eastward. It began hitting the southwest and Midwest states Friday.

Rainfall amounts of 4-6 inches were reported in Missouri and Texas, with some areas seeing up to 9 inches, the National Weather Service said.

Rainstorms began Friday around the state, bringing large amounts of rainfall and causing flooding, the weather service said.

A couple was left stranded in their car when flood waters began to rise in Christian County, officials said.

Despite the husband’s efforts to rescue his wife, their car was swept away with the 72-year-old woman inside. The woman’s body was found Saturday in a field near Clever, Missouri.

At least 150 roads, mostly in southern Missouri, were closed by flooding, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

A total of 93 evacuations and 33 water rescues were reported Saturday, Gov. Eric Greitens said.

“Our standing first responders are working to protect life and property in this storm. Grateful for their work. Stay home. Stay safe,” he wrote on Twitter.

At least three tornadoes touched down east of Dallas as severe storms moved through the area, the weather service said.

The storm struck around 7:20 p.m. ET and produced considerable damage about 60 miles east of Dallas in Van Zandt and Henderson counties, according to the weather service.

Five people were found dead, but county officials said the number may go up as search and rescue efforts continue.

At least 55 patients were taken to ETMC Regional Healthcare System, hospital spokeswoman Rebecca Berkley said. One was in critical condition, and the other patients’ injuries were not life-threatening.

Multiple ambulances were at the site of the tornadoes while the search and rescue efforts continued, Berkley said.

First responders from across the state continue to comb through overturned cars and the homes destroyed by the tornadoes.

Canton High School was used as a triage center, CNN affiliate KLTV tweeted.

A tornado could have crossed Interstate 20 in Canton, flipping vehicles in a dealership and damaging a building.

Campers and families attending First Monday Trade Days, one of the largest outdoor collectibles markets in the US, were forced to take shelter in bathrooms, CNN affiliate KLTV reported.

Preliminary reports show tornadoes touched down in several north Texas towns.

A team will survey the damage on Sunday to determine the intensity of the tornadoes.</s>Tornadoes, storms kill nine in US South

A business damaged by tornadoes is seen in Canton, Texas, April 30, 2017. — Reuters pic

CANTON (Texas), May 1 — Tornadoes ripped through an East Texas county yesterday evening, killing at least four people and injuring dozens of others, while high winds, falling trees and floods killed five others in neighboring states, according to news reports.

Three tornadoes were confirmed by the US National Weather Service in Canton, a city about 95km east of Dallas in Van Zandt County.

The winds flipped over cars, snapped trees, destroyed houses and left roads strewn with debris and fallen power lines, according to photographs and video published by the Dallas Morning News.

“We have at least four fatalities,” Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said at a news conference on Sunday, adding that number could rise.

“The damage was extensive in the affected area. It is heartbreaking and upsetting.”

Forty nine people had been treated for injuries, she said.

Earlier a Canton fire department captain said he believed five people had been killed.

The mayor urged people to stay away from a sprawling flea market known as First Monday Trade Days, as crews tried to clean up debris.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed a search and rescue team to the area.

The storms caused floods in neighboring states, killing a 72-year-old woman in southwestern Missouri who was washed away in her car, according to local media reports.

In Arkansas, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home in DeWitt, and a 10-year-old girls was killed after flood waters swept her away in Springdale, ABC News reported.

A fire chief reponding to the storm was killed yesterday in Cleburne County, the county sheriff said.

In Mississippi, a person was killed after a tree fell on their house in Durant, ABC reported.

The governors of Missouri and Oklahoma declared states of emergency due to flooding.

In the St. Louis area, severe thunderstorms were forecast through yesterday.

Some people were told to evacuate and 33 rescues were conducted, mostly in the state’s central and southwestern regions, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens said.

Parts of Indiana received up to 20cm of rain while areas in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas were drenched with up to 10cm, James said.

Heavy rainfall in the Midwest was expected to continue yesterday, along with wind gusts of 95kph.

Flash floods and strong thunderstorms were forecast for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama yesterday, the National Weather Service said. — Reuters</s>At least nine people have died after heavy storms and tornadoes hit parts of the United States, CNN TV channel reports.

At least three tornadoes hit the eastern part of Texas Saturday. Here at least five people died, and over 50 injured, according to local media.

In Missouri, an elderly woman was found dead after her car was taken off by floodwaters. The police in Arkansas state that a woman died on Saturday when a three hit her home.</s>(CNN) A string of deadly storms that ravaged some Southern states over the weekend could put millions more at risk as it moves north Monday.

At least 13 people were killed and dozens more injured as storms tore through Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi over the weekend, spawning tornadoes and floods that left a trail of devastation.

Tornadoes tore roofs off homes, ripped trees out of the ground and tossed cars "around like toys," one witness said. Floods swept cars off the road and downed trees and power lines that flattened homes.

The storms were expected to move into Alabama Sunday evening and continue along a path extending to Michigan. A severe weather warning is in effect through Monday, putting 22 million people in six states from North Carolina to New York at risk of isolated tornadoes, high winds and large hail.

In Canton, Texas, "There are cars that have been thrown around like rag dolls," said Cliff Henthorn, who took this photo Saturday while visiting from Fort Worth.

In Texas, 'heartbreaking' devastation

At least three tornadoes touched down in northeast Texas on Saturday, leaving widespread damage in Van Zandt and Henderson counties, a rural area about 60 miles east of Dallas.

At least four were killed and 49 people were taken to area hospitals, Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said. One person is still unaccounted for. First responders from across the state went door to door on Sunday to look for survivors in more than 5,000 homes in the tornado's path, she said.

"It is heartbreaking and upsetting, to say the least," the mayor said.

Canton High School, which was used as a triage center, would be closed Monday, along with the rest of schools in Canton and Fruitvale, Everett said. A curfew is in effect in affected regions outside of the city of Canton.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott visited Canton on Sunday to survey the damage. He commended local officials and first responders for their work and called on Texans to donate money instead of supplies.

High winds tore limbs off trees and blew them onto roads, where they blocked traffic, according to reporter J.D. Miles of CNN affiliate KTVT . Vehicles in a lot were "tossed around like toys," he said.

The twisters interrupted First Monday Trade Days, one of the largest outdoor collectibles markets in the United States. Crowds of attendees were forced to take shelter in bathrooms, CNN affiliate KLTV reported.

"We saw the the tornado drop out of the sky," said Fort Worth resident Cliff Henthorn, who was in Canton for the event. "This was crazy. It completely looks like a can opener opened this truck right in front of me. "

Fort Worth's Cliff Henthorn took this photo after Saturday's tornadoes in Canton, Texas.

The tornado hit about a mile from 17-year-old Hayley Herron's house. The next day everyone was still in shock, she said.

"The damages were horrible," she said. "Power lines and fences torn down over the roads, my friends' homes destroyed, there were buildings completely gone. Trees were split and thrown across pastures."

Death toll rises

In Arkansas, where Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared a state of emergency in response to flooding, at least four people died in the storms, the state Department of Emergency Management said.

"Our prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones in the heavy rain and storms last night. I also thank our first responders who have worked tirelessly to provide assistance," Hutchinson said.

One woman died when a tree fell on a mobile home in De Witt, about 80 miles east of Little Rock, ADEM spokeswoman Whitney Green said.

In Carroll County, the body of a 24-year-old woman was found after it washed up in a creek. Officials in Washington County reported that a water rescue turned into a recovery without giving more detail on the victim.

Another death in Cleborne County was included in the ADEM's death toll. The agency did not provide further details, but the Cleborne County Sheriff's Office said on its Facebook page that Fire Chief Doug Deckard died "in a tragic accident" while checking an area during a thunderstorm.

The agency did not include in its count the death of a 10-year-old girl in Springdale. The girl and her brother climbed a fence near a creek and the girl was swept away by rushing waters, Springdale Police said in a Facebook post. Her brother was safe and the girl's body was found around midnight, police said.

Officials in Mississippi blamed the weather for at least two deaths. In Rankin County, a child died from an electric shock in floodwater. Authorities did not provide information on the other death.

In Nashville, Tennessee, a 2-year-old girl died after she was struck by a metal soccer goal that was blown over by high winds, Nashville police said Sunday.

Missouri governor: 'Stay home. Stay safe'

At least two people died in the storms that began Friday in Missouri, bringing heavy rain and flooding.

A couple was left stranded in their car when flood waters began to rise in Christian County, officials said. Despite the man's efforts to rescue his wife, their car was swept away with the 72-year-old woman inside. The woman's body was found Saturday in a field near Clever, Missouri.

A second death was reported Sunday, though information about the circumstances was not immediately available.

At least 150 roads, mostly in southern Missouri, were closed by flooding, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.

A total of 111 evacuations and 136 water rescues were reported as of Sunday, Gov. Eric Greitens said.

"Our standing first responders are working to protect life and property in this storm. Grateful for their work. Stay home. Stay safe."</s>1 killed in Arkansas in storms; 4 dead in Texas

CANTON, Texas - Severe storms that moved across Arkansas are blamed for at least one death there.

 

Police say 65-year-old Julia Schwede was killed when a tree was blown into her home Saturday night.

 

The storms were among several in parts of the South and Midwest. In Texas, at least four people were killed in a series of tornadoes that left a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes. Rains killed at least one person in Missouri.

 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a 72-year-old woman drowned despite her husband's efforts to save her as their vehicle was swept away by rushing waters Saturday near Clever in southwest Missouri.

 

Flooding is also an issue in northern Arkansas, where numerous roads are closed after more than 3 inches of rain fell in some areas.</s>Severe storms that moved across Arkansas are blamed for at least one death there.

Police say 65-year-old Julia Schwede was killed when a tree was blown into her home Saturday night.

The storms were among several in parts of the South and Midwest. In Texas, at least four people were killed in a series of tornadoes that left a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes. Rains killed at least one person in Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a 72-year-old woman drowned despite her husband’s efforts to save her as their vehicle was swept away by rushing waters Saturday near Clever in southwest Missouri.

Flooding is also an issue in northern Arkansas, where numerous roads are closed after more than 3 inches of rain fell in some areas.

Severe storms, including tornadoes, swept through several small towns in East Texas, leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes.

Authorities believe as many as five people were killed and dozens injured, though they were still assessing the damage from the storms that swept through an area about 50 miles east of Dallas on Saturday evening.

“We’re talking about I think maybe five casualties,” Canton Fire Department Capt. Brian Horton said. “That number may go up … once we can get into these areas.”

Video from local television stations showed uprooted trees and overturned cars along rural, wet roadways, along with at least two flattened homes. The tornado flipped pickup trucks at a Dodge dealership in Canton and tore through the business.

Fifty-six people were treated at three hospitals and six remained hospitalized Sunday morning, two of them in critical condition, ETMC Regional Health Care Systems spokeswoman Rebecca Berkley said.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least three tornadoes swept through parts of three counties Saturday evening.

Horton asked that people who didn’t need to be in the area to stay out, “so that our teams can do what they need to do to take care of these people who are in need.” He noted that a triage center was set up at the local high school.

One resident, Ernestine Cook, told Dallas television station WFAA she rushed to a storm center just in time.

“It hit so hard, so fast. It just kept moving,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it after 22 years of living here.”</s>At least 10 people were killed and dozens more were injured after severe storms that included powerful tornadoes hit the South, including Arkansas, Missouri and a region of Texas east of Dallas, officials said.

At least four tornadoes touched down in east Texas on Saturday afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service said.

Canton, Texas, Mayor Lou Ann Everett said Sunday that at least four people were killed and 49 others were injured but that the situation was “very fluid” and could change.

“The damage was extensive. It is heartbreaking,” she said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the damage was “devastating” during a news conference with local officials Sunday afternoon.

“You saw homes and other buildings that were incompletely flattened, as well as others that were nothing more than rubble,” he said, adding that he saw “large swath after large swath of devastation.”

In lieu of clothes, Abbot said people should donate money to help those affected by the storm — or even a warehouse for first responders to hold supplies.

Everett had told NBC News in a phone interview Saturday night that five people were believed to have been killed. Power was also knocked out and the full scope of the damage was not yet known, she said.

“We won’t know what exactly we are dealing with until the sun comes up,” Everett said. “We have no power. We have three major transmission stations that are damaged.”

East Texas Medical Center previously reported that 52 people were being treated at three hospitals because of the severe weather and that one of those patients was in critical condition.

Video taken from the scene showed tornadoes touching down and thunder. Dozens of cars were overturned on Interstate 20, east of Canton, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. The tornadoes hit in Henderson and Van Zandt counties, according to the weather service.

Desirae Rasmussen of Canton survived the tornado, but her home was seriously damaged. “Every last one of us walked away. But we have nothing left down there,” Rasmussen told NBCDFW.

“We were all sitting in the hallway and the roof collapsed on us. By the time it was all over, we went outside. We had a three-level house, and we’re down to the last level, and half of that roof is gone,” she said.

The tornadoes in Texas occurred as storms swept across the parts of the South and Midwest on Saturday, with flash flood warnings in place for a swath stretching from eastern Oklahoma to western Kentucky and parts of Illinois.

In Missouri on Saturday, a woman drowned after the car she was in was swept away by floodwaters in Clever, a town about 20 miles southwest of Springfield, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The husband of Madelaine Krueger, 72,tried to rescue her before the vehicle was swept away but was unsuccessful, the highway patrol said.

In Mississippi, two storm-related deaths were reported Sunday, in Holmes County and Rankin County, where a child died from electric shock in floodwaters, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said. No details of the Holmes County death were immediately available.

“We’re having major flooding like I’ve never seen since I’ve been here in town,” Neosho, Missouri, Mayor Ben Baker said. Vehicles in the town of 12,000 south of Joplin were pushed by floodwaters into trees and homes after creeks spilled over their banks.

In Arkansas, a person was killed after a tree fell onto a mobile home in Dewitt, Arkansas County Emergency Management spokeswoman Whitney Green said.

And a 10-year-old girl was killed after being swept away by rushing waters in Springdale, Arkansas, on Saturday, police said on Sunday.

The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday afternoon that Cove Creek Pearson Fire Chief Doug Deckard died during a “tragic accident” while serving in the middle of a torrential thunderstorm.

On the other side of the state in Fayetteville, authorities said they conducted 20 water rescues Saturday after flooding there.

And in Madison County, Arkansas, authorities were looking for two children — a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl — who were missing after being separated from their mother as her car got stuck in high water on Saturday night. Authorities said on Sunday that the search for the missing toddlers had become a recovery operation.

Oklahoma declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s office said there was widespread flooding in Cherokee County, where there were 14 water rescues Saturday, and flooding in Adair County. Baseball-size hail fell west of the town of Cameron, damaging power lines.

More than 12,000 customers in central Oklahoma were without electricity as of Saturday evening, utility OGE Energy Corp. said.

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens declared a state of emergency for his state on Friday, NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis reported. Abbott said a task force was being sent to help Texas communities affected by the tornadoes and severe weather.</s>Multiple tornadoes ripped through a town in eastern Texas on Saturday evening, killing at least four people and injuring dozens of others, according to authorities, who warned the number of casualties could rise.

Three tornadoes were confirmed by the U.S. National Weather Service in Canton, a city about 60 miles (95 kilometres) east of Dallas.

"We have at least four fatalities," Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said at a news conference on Sunday. "It is a very fluid situation and that could change later today." Forty nine people had been treated for injuries, she said.

Earlier local media reports said five people had died, citing the Canton fire department.

Pictures and video posted online showed cars flipped over and two-story houses in the area all but destroyed.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed a search and rescue team to the area.

Downpours that began on Friday were so intense the ground was unable to absorb the rainfall, making flooding highly likely, said meteorologist Kenneth James of the Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service.

More than six inches of rain fell in some areas, flooding roads and prompting evacuations, meteorologists said.

The governors of Missouri and Oklahoma declared states of emergency due to flooding.

In the St. Louis area, severe thunderstorms are forecast through Sunday. Some people were told to evacuate and 33 rescues were conducted, mostly in the state's central and southwestern regions, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens said.

Parts of Indiana received up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain while areas in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas have been drenched with up to 4 inches (10 cm), James said.

Heavy rainfall in the Midwest was expected to continue on Sunday, along with wind gusts of 60 miles (95 km) per hour.
At least 7 people are killed in the US states of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas due to tornadoes and floods.