Doctor banned for incompetence is now part of Arizona's executions

Death Chamber, Missouri Correctional Center.

STORY JUST IN (Death Penalty Information Center)
The same doctor who was banned from executions in Missouri has been discovered as a participant in Arizona’s most recent execution. Dr. Alan Doerhoff’s signature is at the bottom of executed Robert Comer’s EKG tape, eight months after he was prohibited from further Missouri executions “because of questions about his standards and competence.” Doerhoff had assisted in more than 54 executions in Missouri, developed procedures, inserted catheters, and monitored prisoner’s consciousness in Indiana. According to 2006 court records, he admitted under oath to being dyslexic, that “he ‘improvised’ the dosages of the drugs (partly because of how conveniently or inconveniently they were packaged), had no set protocol and kept no records of procedures.” The hearing’s judge prohibited Doerhoff from participating “in any manner, at any level” in Missouri’s lethal-injection process. Prior to this ruling, Doerhoff had been sued for malpractice 20 times, paid several settlements, and was “officially reprimanded by the Missouri Board of Healing Arts for not disclosing malpractice suits to a hospital where he practiced and was subsequently barred from some hospitals.”

The techniques that Doerhoff developed appear to have influenced Arizona’s new execution procedures, “specifically a practice of administering the killing chemicals through a catheter in the groin instead of through an arm. It’s a method that some critics say is too complex and contributes to higher risks of error that could lead to undue suffering.” Such a technique appears to be unique to jurisdictions where Doerhoff participated in executions. When the Arizona Department of Corrections was questioned about Doerhoff’s participation, they denied any association with the doctor. When the media showed proof of Doerhoff’s signature on the execution documents, the Corrections officials cited statutes that protect the identity of Arizona executioners. The State of Arizona is still fighting petitions in court to reveal information about their execution staff. Experts say that Doerhoff techniques are overly complex and prone to error. Despite being prohibited from participating in Missouri executions, Dr. Doerhoff is still legally permitted to participate and influence other states’ and federal executions.

(M. Kiefer, “Doctor banned from executions in Mo. now in Ariz.,” The Arizona Republic, July 24, 2008). See Executions.