John McCain Speaks Out Over Arizona Inmate's Two-Hour Execution, Says It Amounted to Torture

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.

—

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John McCain says the execution of an Arizona inmate that lasted two hours was torture.

The Republican who represents the conservative state told Politico that he supports capital punishment for certain crimes but felt Wednesday's execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood was a "bollocks-upped situation."

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) talks to reporters after a closed meeting on Iraq and Afghanistan on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 8, 2014. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

The execution has renewed debate about the death penalty. But Arizona lawmakers say the debate is not likely to have an impact on practices in the state.

It took Wood nearly two hours to die after he received a lethal injection with a combination of the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone. He spent more than 90 minutes gasping for air every five to 12 seconds before he finally stopped breathing.

Arizona has suspended executions while an investigation is conducted.

—