Oklahoma House passes bill ending electric chair executions
The bill lists which execution methods are still allowed, including lethal injection, nitrogen hypoxia — which causes death by using nitrogen gas to deplete oxygen in the blood — firing squad and any other method not prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
The state's electric chair is in storage and does not operate, said Terri Watkins, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.
"Because of the high cost of making an electric chair, it didn't seem feasible, so we took that one out of the list," Wright said.
Lawmakers approved the use of nitrogen gas as an alternative method of execution after Lockett writhed on the gurney during his lethal injection that prison officials tried unsuccessfully to halt.