Death row inmate Richard Leavitt died this morning at 10:25 by lethal injection. He received sedatives throughout the night and at one point said he was "resolved" as to what was happening. Leavitt was convicted in 1985 for the brutal murder of Blackfoot resident Danette Elg. Her mutilated body was found a year earlier with multiple stab wounds.
This morning Idaho Department of Correction director Brent Reinke told reporters the execution was on track. Seven months ago Reinke gave a similar message to reporters ahead of the first execution in Idaho in 17 years. Now he says the department is more comfortable with the procedure saying the department is "battle tested."
A court ruling late Friday made for one major change for Leavitt's execution. A judge said that witnesses including select media can watch the entire execution process beginning when the inmate - strapped to a table - gets wheeled into the room. This part of the execution took place behind a curtain in November.
Reinke says that since the court ruling the department has practiced the procedure twice and that extra measures were taken to conceal the identity of the medial team.
Scott Ki and Adam Cotterell contributed to this story
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