Officials applaud Mo. execution protocol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., May 21 (UPI) -- Prison officials declared Missouri's new lethal injection protocol a success following the execution of condemned killer Dennis Skillicorn.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jacqueline Lapine said everything went as planned in Wednesday's execution of the 49-year-old killer, giving the green light to additional executions under the court-approved protocol, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported Thursday.

"We are now focusing on the next date," Lapine said.

The execution protocol was approved by the Missouri Supreme Court, ending a hiatus on lethal injection executions in the state that had been in place since 2005.

The hiatus was brought about by allegations regarding the execution method and the individuals tasked to implement capital punishment, the Star said.

The newspaper said Reginald Clemons, convicted of taking part in the deaths of two people in 1991, is the next inmate scheduled to be executed in Missouri. In addition to Clemons' June execution date, the state reportedly plans to conduct 12 more executions in the next few months.