Death House Warden Suspended For Argument After Execution
By Stephen Dean
POSTED: Friday, January 30, 2009
UPDATED: 11:06 am CST January 30, 2009
HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- The senior warden who oversees all executions in the nation's busiest death house has been suspended for his comments following an execution, Local 2 Investigates reported Friday. Senior Warden C. Thomas O'Reilly, leader of the
Huntsville Unit prison, will serve a two-day suspension without pay next week. After that, he will be on probation for three months. O'Reilly is being punished for using profanity during an argument with other Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials, including his superiors, after they had all gathered for the execution of
Reginald Perkins. Perkins was condemned for the 2000 strangulation of his Fort Worth mother-in-law. He was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. on Jan. 22. TDCJ spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said the argument happened six minutes after Perkins was pronounced dead, after the officials had left the death house in the Huntsville Unit. One person who was involved in the argument told Local 2 Investigates that the argument had nothing to do with the execution, but he declined to characterize what sparked the harsh words. The Huntsville Unit was formerly named the Walls Unit, since it is surrounded by huge brick walls in downtown Huntsville. Prior to their execution, condemned inmates are housed on Texas Death Row, which is miles away in Livingston. O'Reilly is responsible for giving the final order to administer lethal drugs as inmates are strapped to the gurney. The inmate is given the chance to issue a final statement and a prison official of lower rank then advises the warden inside the execution chamber. The final words that most inmates hear are, "Warden, you may proceed."
