Lawyers say a settlement is possible in the case of an Alabama inmate whose lethal injection was halted last month when the execution team could not find a usable vein.
Lawyers for both the state of Alabama and death row inmate Doyle Lee Hamm wrote that they were in "serious settlement discussions." The filing did not elaborate, so it's unclear what a potential settlement may entail.
Hamm's attorney is seeking to block Alabama from attempting to execute him again.
Hamm had been scheduled to be executed Feb. 22 for the 1987 murder of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham. The state called off the execution because of problems getting the intravenous line connected.
Hamm's lawyer says he has severely damaged veins because of lymphoma, hepatitis and past drug use and that he endured "torture" during the execution attempt. A doctor hired by the prisoner's legal team wrote that Hamm had 11 puncture sites and bled heavily from his groin after the halted lethal injection attempt.
