Oklahoma court stops 3 pending executions after drug glitch

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Oklahoma's highest criminal court has agreed to halt three upcoming executions after the state's prison system received the wrong drug for a lethal injection this week.

In a unanimous ruling Friday, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals granted the state's request and issued indefinite stays of execution for Richard Glossip, Benjamin Cole and John Grant.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt requested the stays to give his office time to investigate why the Oklahoma Department of Corrections received the wrong drug just hours before Glossip was scheduled to receive his lethal injection on Wednesday.

In its order, the court asked Pruitt's office to continue to provide the justices updates on any changes to the execution protocol through status reports every 30 days.