Mark James Asay
Mark James Asay, 53, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Bradford County, on August 24, 2017, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Prison officials said the three-drug protocol used etomidate, a drug that had never before been used in a US execution, after midazolam became hard to obtain. Critics said etomidate had not been proven for executions, and a dissenting Florida Supreme Court justice argued that using the untested drug would violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The Florida Supreme Court denied a stay of execution.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. A dissenting Florida Supreme Court justice argued the untested drug etomidate would violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, but the court denied a stay.
Reported by: Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.