Oklahoma Governor Faces Pressure to Commute Death Sentence

As Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate convicted of ordering the 1997 beating death of a motel owner, faces execution, a representative of Pope Francis has stepped in to request a commutation of his death sentence. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's diplomatic representative in the US, has written a letter to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin urging her to commute Glossip's sentence, citing the value and dignity of every person's life. This development comes after Pope Francis visited the US last week and urged Congress to abolish the death penalty. Despite the request, Governor Fallin's office has stated that she does not have the authority to grant a commutation, and Glossip's execution is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

Key Takeaways:

• Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate, is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for his role in a 1997 motel killing.
• Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's diplomatic representative in the US, has written a letter to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin requesting a commutation of Glossip's death sentence.
• The letter cites the value and dignity of every person's life and urges Governor Fallin to commute the sentence.
• Governor Fallin's office has stated that she does not have the authority to grant a commutation.
• This is the first time a representative of Pope Francis has intervened in an execution case in Oklahoma.
• The execution would be the first in Oklahoma since the nation's highest court upheld the state's three-drug lethal injection formula.
• Glossip's attorneys have argued that the sedative midazolam does not adequately render an inmate unconscious before the second and third drugs are administered, presenting a substantial risk of violating the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of midazolam as constitutional in a 5-4 decision in June.

Statistics:

• 1997: The year in which the motel killing occurred for which Richard Glossip is scheduled to be executed.
• 3: The number of drugs in the lethal injection formula used in Oklahoma.
• 4: The number of cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the use of midazolam.
• 5: The number of justices who voted to uphold the use of midazolam in a 5-4 decision in June.

Sources:

• "A request from the Vatican to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to commute the death sentence of a man set to be executed Wednesday afternoon" [Times reporter position not specified, from Oklahoma City]
• Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano's letter to Governor Mary Fallin [dated Sept. 19]
• "Oklahoma executes Kelly Renee Gissendaner, a death row inmate who was also the lead plaintiff in a separate case regarding midazolam" [Associated Press]
• "U.S. Supreme Court upholds use of midazolam in lethal injections" [Reuters]