Investigation Provides New Details In John Grant Execution

A 25-page investigation document has provided new details about Oklahoma's execution of convicted murderer John Grant.

Grant's execution made national headlines in October of 2021 when he became the first inmate executed by the state since 2015. The state had paused them due to flawed executions.

During Grant's execution, witnesses described him vomiting and shaking before his death.

The report by the Office of the Inspector General also noted vomiting, but that Grant was, "successfully executed in accordance with Oklahoma State Law."

Before going into the execution chamber, the investigator witnessed Grant shouting curse words, according to the report.

He also witnessed Grant eating potato chips from a large bag and drinking a 2-liter bottle of soda in a hurried manner.

Since then, the Department of Corrections has changed execution protocols to be earlier in the morning. Inmates are given their last meal the evening before the execution.

All of these details are part of hundreds of new documents in federal court, as a federal trial is set to begin later this month.

The trial will examine the constitutionality of the state's execution protocols.

Grant's autopsy will be included in those documents, which found judicial execution by lethal injection as his cause of death.

The autopsy found vomit in his mouth and airways, along with heavy lungs and bleeding in his tongue.

The Department of Corrections said they do not comment on pending litigation.

The state has agreed to stay the execution of a man named James Coddington, pending the result of that trial at the end of February.