The state of Idaho did not carry out the death penalty for 73-year-old Thomas Eugene Creech, according to Idaho News 6. The report notes that Creech had been sentenced to death more than four decades ago, and he spent nearly half a century in prison before today.
The planned execution on February 28 could not proceed because medical personnel could not locate a usable vein for the injection. Technical difficulties forced officials to postpone the procedure and return Creech to his cell, with state authorities now weighing the next steps in the case.
Meanwhile, in another international development, Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained in China, was reported to have been given a suspended sentence in connection with his case in Beijing. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development, noting that Hengjun will remain under supervision and that a failure to commit further serious crimes within two years could lead to a commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment.
Coverage from ABC indicated that the Chinese ambassador to Australia was summoned to a briefing at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs to provide an update on the matter.
Additionally, there are reports of the United States using nitrogen-based methods in a trial execution for the first time, marking a notable moment in capital punishment practices.