MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- An Alabama inmate whose execution by lethal injection was halted three years ago after the execution team could not find a usable vein has died after a long fight with cancer, his attorney told al.com.
Doyle Hamm had lymphoma, and complications from the disease contributed to his death Sunday, attorney Bernard Harcourt, said. He was 64.
Hamm was scheduled to be put to death for the 1987 slaying of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham, but Alabama officials stopped the effort in 2018 after the execution team had trouble connecting the intravenous line.
His attorneys argued that Hamm's history of lymphoma, hepatitis and drug use had compromised his veins to the point that lethal injection would be unconstitutionally painful or impossible. The state disputed that, but agreed to a settlement that allowed Hamm to avoid a second trip to the state's death chamber.