From Fox News · Michael Sinkewicz · · 1m 20s
Texas executes Jamaal Howard after Tennessee execution botch
Texas executes Jamaal Howard despite concerns over lethal injection drug used in failed Tennessee execution.
In brief
Texas executes Jamaal Howard despite concerns over lethal injection drug used in failed Tennessee execution. Texas executed Jamaal Howard after Supreme Court rejected his emergency appeal over concerns about pentobarbital's use following Christa Pike's failed lethal injection in Tennessee. Originally reported by Fox…
Texas executes Jamaal Howard
Texas executed Jamaal Howard Wednesday evening after the Supreme Court declined to halt the execution despite his attorneys raising concerns about the lethal injection drug used in a failed Tennessee execution.
Howard's execution concerns
Howard's attorneys argued the same pentobarbital used in Tennessee's failed execution could pose similar risks to Howard, citing Christa Pike's survival after two doses.
Christa Pike's survival
Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital during a failed execution attempt on September 30, 2026, making her the first person to survive a modern lethal injection.
Execution details
Howard was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. after taking a couple of breaths, gasping, coughing, and stopping movement after 30 seconds.
Supreme Court response
The Supreme Court rejected Howard's emergency appeal without explanation, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson the only justice to publicly dissent.
Background on case
Howard was convicted of killing Vickie Swartout in a 2000 convenience store robbery where he took $114 from the cash register.
In short
Texas executed Jamaal Howard after Supreme Court rejected his emergency appeal over concerns about pentobarbital's use following Christa Pike's failed lethal injection in Tennessee.
