Lawyers for a South Carolina death row inmate will be in federal court Wednesday trying to convince a judge that the state is not properly carrying out lethal injections or firing squad executions, an argument meant to spare the prisoner just two days before he's scheduled to die.
Stephen Stanko's attorneys said the two doses of lethal injection drugs used in the past three executions by that method show those subjected to the procedure have died a lingering death, still conscious as they felt like they were drowning when fluid rushed into their lungs.
