Sweat Lodge Approved For Inmate's Last Wishes

Source: The Arizona Republic

On February 2, 1999, The Arizona Republic reported on thegranting of a sweat lodge to Darrick Gerlaugh, a Native American ondeath row for a murder committed in 1980. Gerlaugh, the first NativeAmerican to be executed in Arizona since the reinstatement of thedeath penalty in 1976 and the sixth Native American to be executed inthe United States, was the first death row inmate to be granted asweat lodge for his last rites. Each of the five previous NativeAmericans on death row were denied sweat lodges for security reasons.The sweat lodge took place on Saturday, January 30 and Gerlaugh isset to be executed on Wednesday, February 3rd at 3pm by lethalinjection.