The execution of an American death row inmate was halted at the last minute on Wednesday in Idaho because it was impossible to execute the death sentence within the legal time limit, the administration of the penitentiary in the northwestern US state announced.

Thomas Creech, 73, a serial killer who spent more than 50 years on death row for killing a fellow inmate while serving a life sentence, was to be executed by lethal injection.

But almost an hour after the execution was due to begin, the prison authorities concluded that it was impossible to “give him an IV,” the prison administration said in a statement. “Therefore, the enforcement order expires,” she added, adding that the state will have to decide what to do next.

The last execution missed for these reasons was that of Kenneth Smith in Alabama (Southeast) on November 17, 2022. Sentenced to death in 1996 for killing a woman on the orders of her husband, he was finally executed on January 25 by nitrogen inhalation, a world premiere that caused a wave of outrage around the world.

All 24 executions carried out in the US in 2023 were by lethal injection.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 states

The execution of Thomas Creech was one of two executions scheduled for Wednesday in the United States.

Ivan Cantu, 50, sentenced to death in 2000 and whose fate drew celebrity attention, was awaiting execution Wednesday night in South Texas.

He was sentenced to death in 2001 for shooting his cousin, James Mosqueda, and his fiancee, Amy Kitchen. A double crime of which he has always maintained that he is innocent.

The main prosecution witness at his trial was his fiancée at the time, Amy Betcher. She stated that Ivan Cantu confessed the crime to her and that he drove her to the scene of the crime before taking her to Arkansas (South).

Amy Bettcher’s brother, Jeff Bettcher, also accused her at trial, but recanted his testimony after his sister’s death in 2021.

Ivan Kantu pointed the finger at a local drug dealer to whom his cousin owed a lot of money.

After new evidence came to light and questions were raised about this incriminating testimony, his execution scheduled for April 2023 was delayed, but the stay was later overturned by the Texas Court of Appeals.

Actor Martin Sheen, an opponent of the death penalty, signed an online petition on Instagram, which has already garnered more than 150,000 signatures, to ask Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a conservative, to suspend the execution.

On Wednesday, reality TV star Kim Kardashian also took to social media to ask the governor for a “30-day reprieve” to review Ivan Cantu’s case.

The Texas Bishops’ Conference decided on the delay, citing “significant uncertainty” surrounding the verdict.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states. Six others (Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee) maintain a moratorium on executions under the governor’s order.

According to a recent Gallup poll, a majority of Americans (50% to 47%) believe the death penalty should not be used in the United States, for the first time since the poll began in 2000. A majority (53%) still favor the death penalty. the death penalty, according to the same source.