Alabama and Oklahoma executed inmates Thursday after the Supreme Court cleared the way, the Associated Press reports. Matthew Reeves received a lethal injection in Alabama for killing a driver who gave him a ride in 1996. In Alabama has given death row inmates the choice of being put to death by nitrogen hypoxia, which is thought to be a less painful method, but Reeves never filled out a form stating a preference. Reeves's lawyers appealed under the American Disabilities Act, claiming that the state never helped Reeves understand the document. The Supreme Court rejected the plea, with Justices Sonia Sotomayer and Elena Kagan dissenting.
An inmate from Oklahoma, Donald Grant, was also executed Thursday. It was the third execution since the state resumed putting death row inmates to death after a seven-year hiatus, according to the Associated Press. Grant is convicted of killing two hotel workers in 2001. The execution follows Oklahoma's struggle over accusations of inhumane lethal injection procedures.
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