[News] Death row inmate who survived botched 2-hour execution dies years later of natural causes

A death row inmate who survived his execution, which saw him endure “two hours” of torture, has died of natural causes.

Doyle Lee Hamm’s attorney confirmed the 64-year-old passed away from complications from lymphoma on Sunday morning, November 28.

Hamm was sentenced to death in 1987 for the murder of Patrick Cunningham, who he shot at a motel in Cullman, Alabama, during an armed robbery.

He confessed to police and was convicted after his two accomplices testified against him in exchange for a plea bargain that would see them get lesser offences.

But in 2018, when he was sent to the death chamber, he survived his execution.

He was repeatedly stabbed with a needle in his groin, ankles, and lower legs as doctors attempted and failed to find a usable vein for his lethal injection in the execution.

Alabama Department of Corrections officials said they had simply run out of time to complete the execution. The procedure began after 9pm and it was shortly before midnight that it was finally called off.

He suffered bruises and swelling in several parts of his body, with photos showing the areas doctors tried to inject the needle.

His attorney Bernard Harcourt had argued for months before the execution that it should not be carried out due to his ailments.

According to The Sun, Hamm’s veins were likely difficult to locate because of his intravenous drug use and diagnosis with an “extremely aggressive lymphoma”.

After the botched execution, Hamm’s legal team and the state of Alabama later reached a settlement that agreed to not set any more execution dates for him on the condition that Hamm did not pursue any legal cases against the state.

Hamm was then sentenced to life in prison instead and remained behind bars until his death.

He is survived by his daughter and brother.