Texas has executed a death row inmate by lethal injection just days after Christa Pike survived a failed execution using the same drug in Tennessee.

Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.03pm on Wednesday, October 7 at the state prison in Huntsville.

He was given a lethal dose of pentobarbital, the single-drug method used by Texas for executions.

Howard had been sentenced to death for the 2000 murder of convenience store clerk Vickie Swartout during a robbery.

Lawyers raised concerns after Pike execution

Howard’s lawyers launched several last-minute attempts to stop the execution.

They argued that concerns surrounding the execution drug had become more significant after Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital during an execution attempt in Tennessee on September 30.

Pike was taken to hospital after the procedure and has since regained consciousness, although her lawyers say she remains seriously unwell.

Howard’s legal team also raised concerns over the age and quality of the pentobarbital Texas planned to use.

Two applications to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals failed, while the US Supreme Court also declined to halt his execution.

Intellectual disability claim rejected

Howard’s lawyers separately argued that he had an intellectual disability which should have prevented his execution.

Those legal challenges were also unsuccessful.

Howard had been convicted of killing 42-year-old Vickie Swartout in May 2000 while robbing the convenience store where she worked.

According to court evidence, he shot her before stealing cash and cigarettes.

First execution since failed Tennessee attempt

Howard’s death was the first execution carried out in the United States since Pike survived Tennessee