The Nevada Department of Corrections has updated information in regards to the lethal injection protocol for the court-ordered execution of condemned murderer Raymond Scott Dozier.
According to NRS 176.355, the judgement of death must be inflicted by an injection of a lethal drug(s). When considering the drugs to be used for the ordered execution, NDOC Director James Dzurenda consulted with the then-State of Nevada Chief Medical Officer — at that time an anesthesiologist — who approved the drug protocol.
After the expiration of the drug Diazepam, it was necessary to change the lethal injection protocol. NDOC presented a revised execution protocol to the current Chief Medical Officer. The current State of Nevada Chief Medical Officer concurred the drugs in the NDOC execution protocol (Midazolam, Fentanyl and Cisatracurium) are appropriate and effective for the use intended. As part of the execution protocol, an attending physician, who’s a practicing physician in Nevada, will attend the execution.
The Attorney General’s office was consulted about the method of execution challenges, including providing general advice about the proposed manual and drug protocol under legal precedent. The advice was premised on the medical recommendation of the State’s Chief Medical Officer. The Nevada Department of Corrections relied on the legal advice from the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
The execution is scheduled for July 11.