Federal judge rejects Mo. death protocol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A federal judge has rejected Missouri's revised execution protocol for the second time.

The state asked U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. to reconsider his September ruling, but Gaitan refused Monday, allowing the state to appeal quickly, the Kansas City Star reported.

The rulings come in the case of Michael Taylor, who was sentenced to death for raping and killing a Kansas City teenager in 1989. Taylor came within a few hours of execution earlier this year but now has an indefinite stay.

In his first ruling, Gaitan ordered the state to make changes in the protocol, including having a board-certified anesthesiologist supervise either the mixing of the lethal cocktail or the execution itself. But the state was unable to find doctors willing to participate.