Howard was convicted of capital murder for the 2000 killing of 42-year-old Vickie Swartout, a convenience store clerk shot once in the chest during a robbery in Silsbee, Texas. Surveillance video presented at trial captured the shooting, in which Howard took $114 and a carton of cigarettes. Asked if he had a final statement, Howard apologized to Swartout’s family members who watched from a witness room, stating he wished for their forgiveness.
Legal Challenges Over Pentobarbital Risks
Before the execution, Howard’s defense team filed emergency motions seeking to halt the procedure in light of the September 30 attempt in Tennessee, where Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital during a botched execution that left her hospitalized in critical condition. Lawyers argued that Texas planned to use the same drug and that the state’s supply had similarly degraded, exposing Howard to unlawful risks.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the defense motions twice without comment, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene late Wednesday evening. Attorneys also petitioned Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a 30-day reprieve to investigate the execution drugs, but the request was denied.
Execution Details and Wider Context
As the pentobarbital began taking effect, witnesses observed Howard take a couple of breaths, gasp, and make snoring sounds that grew quieter before all movement stopped within 30 seconds. He was pronounced dead 19 minutes later.
State figures show Texas has executed seven people in 2026, with two more scheduled later this year. Meanwhile, Florida leads the nation with 16 executions. In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee halted remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review following Pike’s survival and the subsequent resignation of state prisons boss Frank Strada.
Reporting source: bbc.com.