People from all walks of life in Nebraska today are likely trying to come to terms with the recent execution of an inmate by the state. In the past few years, the state government and voters have grappled with the legality of capital punishment. In 2015, the state legislature declared it illegal but, as reported by CNN, the Governor invested personal finances and effort to get a new measure passed in 2016, once again making capital punishment legal in Nebraska.
Until August of 2018, the last time a person died by execution in Nebraska was 21 years ago. The method of killing used in that case was the electric chair. Fast forward to today and now Nebraska has become the first state in the nation to execute a person by a lethal injection that included fentanyl in the drug combination. Many have expressed concern about the lack of transparency surrounding some of the facets of this killing, including how the state managed to obtain two of the four drugs used.
The two drugs in question were manufactured by a company in Germany. This company is said to have tried to force the state to return the substances, but it was unsuccessful in this attempt. The man who was executed had been convicted for killing two taxi drivers in 1979.
Once the drugs had been injected into the defendant, it took him 23 minutes to die. In addition to fentanyl, the substances used included valium, a muscle relaxant and a drug designed to stop the heart from beating.