Executioner says he was puzzled by inmate's 26-minute death

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The leader of Ohio's execution team has testified that he'd never seen anything like the 2014 death of a condemned inmate who gasped and snorted during the 26 minutes it took him to die.

The man testifying anonymously in federal court as Team Member No. 10 said he "was wondering what was going on" during the execution of Dennis McGuire in January 2014.

The Dayton Daily News reports the man also said in testimony Tuesday the execution affected him like no other.

Federal Magistrate Judge Michael Merz in Dayton is hearing evidence in the weeklong trial over Ohio's newest lethal injection method.

McGuire's was the longest execution since Ohio resumed putting inmates to death in 1999.

Ohio plans its first execution in three years next month.