MCALESTER, OK—Calling it an “unfortunate incident,” Oklahoma Department of Corrections officials confirmed that convicted murderer and death row inmate Harrison Garber, 57, died of natural causes three days into his lethal injection Tuesday. “Approximately 55 hours into the execution process, Mr. Garber began having seizures and showing signs of severe distress, ultimately succumbing to the effects of a stroke,” said warden Timothy Richards, adding that medical personnel rushed to revive the man so they could proceed with the execution, but it was already too late. “A preliminary report by the coroner indicates a sudden arterial embolism in the brain—an unforeseen turn of events that was certainly not the chemically induced cardiac arrest by which we eventually expected him to die.” Richards then vowed immediate reforms, declaring that all future death row inmates would have to pass a physical examination to ensure they were not at risk of passing away on the execution table while waiting for the unproven cocktail of chemicals inside them to take effect.

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