A Toledo man convicted of fatally shooting a convenience-store owner in 1993 yesterday became the second person in the U.S. to be put to death using a single drug, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Vernon Smith, 37, was pronounced dead after Ohio prison staff administered a fatal dose of thiopental sodium, a powerful anesthetic.
He was the second death-row inmate to be put to death with a single drug after Ohio switched from a three-drug system in November. The change came after a botched execution attempt in October. “I’m sure there are plenty of people across the country who are watching what we’re doing today,” said state prisons director Terry Collins.