U.S. executes Wesley Purkey, second federal execution in 17 years, spokeswoman says

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department executed convicted murderer Wesley Purkey on Thursday, the second federal execution in a week after a 17-year pause, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman said.

Purkey, whose lawyers had argued that he had dementia and no longer understood his punishment, was pronounced dead at 8:19 a.m. EDT (1219 GMT) at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the spokeswoman, Kristie Breshears said by phone.

(Reporting by Peter Szekely)