A feast for the eyes!

The vein of a U.S. death row inmate “exploded” during his execution, leading to questions over the use of lethal injection. The 38-year-old was declared unconscious ten minutes after the first of the state’s new three-drug lethal injection combination was administered.

Three minutes later, though, he began breathing heavily, writhing, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow. Witnesses reported that Lockett seemed to try to sit up, at one point he said, "Man", observers heard a prison official say, "Something’s wrong". It later emerged his vein had ruptured.

The blinds were eventually lowered to prevent those in the viewing gallery from watching what was happening in the death chamber, and the state’s top prison official eventually called a halt to the proceedings. Lockett, died 43 minutes later.

Lockett was executed for a crime he committed in 1999. He shot a 19-year-old girl named Stephanie Neiman (pictured left) and then he watched as a pair of accomplices buried her alive.

Defense lawyers argued for disclosure about the drugs, the Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed to a temporary stay, but the state legislature threatened to bring impeachment proceedings against the justices.