Missouri Inmate Asks God For 'Wisdom, Righteousness' Before Execution

Missouri carried out its eighth execution of the year on Wednesday against convicted murderer Earl Ringo Jr., who reportedly quoted from the Quran before being injected with the lethal drug pentobarbital. The inmate denied receiving any sedative before his execution.

Ringo, who was convicted in the double homicide of two Ruby Tuesday employees in Columbia, Missouri in 1998, reportedly wrote a verse from the Quran that discusses death and the afterlife before his execution early Wednesday.

"O my Lord bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous," the 40-year-old inmate wrote before his death.

Missouri proceeded with the execution even after receiving criticism for using the controversial sedative midazolam, which when combined with pentobarbital can cause botched executions. When the two drugs have been used together in other states including Oklahoma and Ohio, inmates have reportedly writhed in pain, gasped for air and moaned before being pronounced dead minutes later.

A recent investigative report conducted by St. Louis Public Radio argued that Missouri officials had lied about their execution process by failing to mention the use of midazolam on inmates before their execution. Officials defended their records, saying that midazolam is used as a sedative to calm inmates before their execution and is therefore not a part of the actual execution process that involves the injection of the lethal drug pentobarbital.

Ringo reportedly denied receiving the sedative due to the reports of its effect on the human body when mixed with pentobarbital. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon had denied the request by Ringo's lawyers to postpone the execution until the issue with the midazolam is resolved.