The prisoner sentenced to death took revenge on the executioners, but they found out about this only after his death, when they passed a coronavirus test and received a positive result. Now the prisoners saw a loophole in what happened, seeking the abolition of death sentences, and it is difficult to argue with their arguments in 2020.
In November 2020, 49-year-old Orlando Hall, who had been sentenced to death in 1994, was executed in Indiana federal prison, Neewsweek writes. The man was found guilty of kidnapping, rape and murder of 16-year-old Lisa Rene. The American spent 26 years waiting behind bars for the execution of the sentence, and after his death he took revenge on the executioners.
Dozens of people come to each execution: a medical team, prison staff, and sometimes reporters with relatives of the victims. In times of a pandemic, gathering in the same room can be dangerous, and this played a cruel joke. The two executioners who took Orlando’s life by court order have contracted the coronavirus, and it may have strange side effects.
Other prison inmates, who are supposed to be released one day and then tell what surprised them the most, have filed a class action lawsuit against US Attorney General William Barr for non-compliance with quarantine measures. However, the prisoners do not worry about the fate of the guards, and they themselves do not want to be sick. They have only one demand – to suspend executions during the pandemic.
Moreover, the prisoners’ lawyers believe that the prison administration is hiding real information about how many people present at Hall’s execution were actually infected. In support of this argument, lawyers cite the words of Orlando’s spiritual mentor, Youssef Ahmed Nur – he was also undergoing a lethal execution, after which he passed a positive test for COVID-19.
Noor told reporters that after Orlando was executed, he entered the cell and prayed for about 15 minutes. The officers stood nearby, but none of them were wearing personal protective equipment.
While I was there, I was a meter away from the executioners without masks.
