“6:39 PM – Inmate tries to talk. Says man and appears to be trying to get up. Doctor checks on inmate. Female prison official says, ‘We are going to lower the blinds temporarily.’ Prison phone rings. Director of Prisons Robert Patton answers the phone and leaves the room – taking three state officials with him.” How Oklahoma botched a an execution (even though Clayton Lockett died 45 minutes later of a heart attack) and how it affects the death penalty debate.

+ The Daily Beast: “Regrettably, Lockett’s gruesome death was far from extraordinary.

+ Yesterday, I linked to a few very interesting pieces about the death penalty, including one on the dark figure, the number of innocent people on death row.