Executed Man Took 34 Minutes to Die

From CNN.com:

STARKE, Florida (AP) -- Death penalty opponents criticized the execution of a convicted murderer who took more than half an hour to die and needed a rare second dose of lethal chemicals.

Angel Nieves Diaz, 55, convicted of murdering a Miami topless bar manager 27 years ago, appeared to grimace before dying Wednesday, 34 minutes after the first dose.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said she doesn't believe Diaz felt any pain and had liver disease, which required the second dose.

"It was not unanticipated. The metabolism of the drugs to the liver is slowed," Plessinger said.

Diaz's cousin Maria Otero said the family had never heard he suffered from liver disease. "Why a stupid second dose?" Otero said.

Gov. Jeb Bush said the Department of Corrections followed all protocols.

"A preexisting medical condition of the inmate was the reason tonight's procedure took longer than recent procedures carried out this year," the governor said in a news release.

A spokesman for Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, called Diaz's death a botched execution.

"They had to execute him twice," Mark Elliot said. "If Floridians could witness the pain and the agony of the executed man's family, they would end the death penalty."

Isn't this supposed to be protected by the 8th Amendment's "cruel and unusual punishment" clause?

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