- Broom
Critics blasted Ohio’s death penalty after last month’s botched attempt to execute inmate Romell Broom. A federal appeals court on Monday echoed that criticism when it temporarily spared the life of inmate Lawrence Reynolds, the next man in line for execution.
Then Governor Ted Strickland went one step further and postponed a November execution of Cleveland man Darryl Durr. Strickland says the state will not go forward because prison officials are still developing back-up lethal injection procedures.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a written opinion issued Monday, said there were “disturbing issues” to consider before executing Reynolds. A convicted murderer from Summit County, Reynolds was scheduled for execution Thursday in Lucasville.
“Given the important constitutional and humanitarian issues at stake in all death penalty cases, these problems in the Ohio lethal injection protocol are certainly worthy of meaningful consideration,” the court wrote in its appeal.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2009.