State & Federal
Ohio
History of the Death Penalty
Until 1885, executions were carried out by public hangings, which were conducted by individual counties. In 1885, death row and executions were moved to the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus. The electric chair was first used in Ohio in 1897 and was used to execute 312 men and 3 women. The last person executed with the electric chair was Donald Reinbolt in 1963.
Timeline
1885 - Ohio legislature requires that all executions performed within the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, must be conducted by hanging.
1897 - Ohio first used the electric chair. Electrocution replaces hanging and is seen as a more humane method of execution.
1963 - Donald Reinbolt becomes the last person to be executed with the electric chair.
1974 - Ohio reinstates the death penalty following Furman v. Georgia.
1991 - Governor Richard Celeste commutes sentences of eight death row prisoners due to evidence of racial discrimination in sentencing.
2001 - Ohio eliminates electrocution as a method of execution, leaving lethal injection as the only available method of execution.
2010 - Ohio passes the DNA Access Bill to curb wrongful convictions.
2014 - Ohio botches the execution of Dennis McGuire by lethal injection. The state used an untried drug cocktail composed of the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone.
2015 - The FDA warms Ohio not to import sodium thiopental from overseas for use in executions.
2017 - Federal Magistrate Judge Michael R. Merz rules that Ohio’s three-drug lethal injection protocol is unconstitutional due to intolerable risk of serious harm in violation of the 8th Amendment.
2017 - The Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reverses Federal Magistrate Judge Michael R. Merz’ decision to say executions in Ohio due to constitutionality concerns.
2019 - In response to Ohio’s three-drug execution protocol, Governor Mike DeWine halts all executions until the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction can develop a new execution protocol that gains approval from the courts.
2021 - Ohio bans the imposition of the death penalty on defendants who are severely mentally ill at the time of the offense.
2023 - The Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on Senate Bill 101 that, if passed, would abolish the state’s death penalty.
Famous Cases
Sandra Lockett was sentenced to death for her involvement in a robbery and murder. At the time, Ohio’s statute allowed judges in capital cases to consider only three mitigating factors. If none of those factors were found in a case, the defendant had to be sentenced to death. Lockett’s case was appealed to the Supreme Court. In Lockett v. Ohio (1978), the Court ruled that the sentencer in a capital case “not be precluded from considering, as a mitigating factor, any aspect of a defendant’s character or record and any of the circumstances of the offense that the defendant proffers as a basis for a sentence less than death.” Lockett’s sentence was overturned.
Richard Cooey challenged Ohio’s lethal injection protocol, saying that it would cause a severely painful death. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected his claim, and Cooey was executed on October 14, 2008.
Romell Broom was convicted of kidnapping and murder in 1984 and sentenced to death. His execution was scheduled for September 15, 2009. The execution team spent two hours searching for a suitable vein for Broom’s lethal injection, but failed to insert the IV. During the procedure, Broom tried to assist the team in finding a vein, but they were still unable to do so. The prison director contacted Governor Strickland, who issued a stay of execution in order to allow the state to evaluate the lethal injection procedure. Broom remains on Ohio’s death row.
Notable Exonerations
Joe D’Ambrosio was exonerated in 2012, 23 years after he was convicted. A federal District Court had first overturned D’Ambrosio’s conviction in 2006 because the state had withheld key evidence from the defense. The federal court originally allowed the state to re-prosecute him, but just before trial the state revealed the existence of even more important evidence and requested further delay. Additionally, the state did not divulge in a timely manner that the key witness against D’Ambrosio had died. In 2010, the District Court barred D’Ambrosio’s re-prosecution because of the prosecutors’ misconduct. On January 23, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the state’s appeal in the case, thus ending the capital case.
Timothy Howard and Gary Lamar James were sentenced to death in 1976 for a bank robbery in Columbus, Ohio, in which one of the bank guards was killed. Both men were released from prison in 2003 after new evidence was uncovered. Conflicting witness statements and previously unknown fingerprint evidence led the Franklin County prosecutor to dismiss all charges against Howard and James.
On November 21, 2014, Ricky Jackson and Wiley Bridgeman were released from prison. Prosecutors filed a motion to drop charges against Jackson, Bridgeman, and their co-defendant, Kwame Ajamu (formerly Ronnie Bridgeman), who had been released, but not exonerated, in 2003. A judge officially dismissed the charges against Jackson and Bridgeman on November 21, and against Ajamu on December 9.
The three men had been convicted of a 1975 murder on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy, who recently recanted, saying he had not witnessed the murder at all. All three defendants were sentenced to death. Upon his release, Jackson said, “The English language doesn’t even fit what I’m feeling. I’m on an emotional high. You sit in prison for so long and think about this day but when it actually comes you don’t know what you’re going to do, you just want to do something.”
Following his release, Bridgeman said, “The bitterness is over with; I carried that too long.” Jackson’s and Bridgeman’s 39 years in prison is the longest time between conviction and exoneration of any of those exonerated. Since 1973 there have been 149 exonerations of people sentenced to death in the U.S. including eight in Ohio. Kwame Ajamu remarked, “I was sentenced to die, as was Ricky and my brother. We were 17, 18, and 20. For a crime we didn’t do.”
Notable Clemencies
In 1991, Ohio Governor Richard Celeste commuted the sentences of eight inmates on Ohio’s death row, citing a “disturbing racial pattern” in sentencing.
Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement
Ohio reinstated the death penalty in 1974, but the law was struck down as unconstitutional in 1978. The current law went into effect in 1981.
HB 160, a death penalty abolition bill, was introduced by Rep. Ted Celeste in the 129th General Assembly on March 15, 2011.
Ohio “Firsts”
Ohio was the first state to adopt a one-drug execution protocol. Ohio was also the first state to change from the one-drug protocol of sodium thiopental to pentobarbital.
In 2010, Ohio passed a sweeping criminal justice reform bill to curb wrongful convictions called the DNA Access Bill (128th GA, SB 77).
Other Interesting Facts
“Old Sparky,” as the electric chair came to be known, claimed the lives of 315 killers between 1897 and 1963, beginning with William Haas, 17, of Hamilton County and ending with Donald Reinbolt, 29, of Columbus.
Ohio had three botched executions in a four-year period:
Joseph Clark (May 2006)
Christopher Newton (May 2007)
Romell Broom (September 2009)
Although Ohio reinstated the death penalty in 1974, it did not resume executions until 1999.
Ohio Execution Totals Since 1976
News & Developments
News
Feb 02, 2024
Ohio Officials Divided on Death Penalty as Attorney General Pushes New Bill to Legalize Nitrogen Hypoxia for Executions
On Tuesday, January 30, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced new legislation to authorize the use of nitrogen gas in executions in the state. Joined by several Republican state representatives and Louis Tobin of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, AG Yost said that he is seeking to “kickstart” Ohio’s death penalty after a six-year pause in executions due to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs. “The status quo is unacceptable,” he said. According to the text of the proposed bill, H.B. 392, a prisoner could elect lethal injection or nitrogen hypoxia…
Read MoreJan 31, 2024
Examining the Implications of Uncontested Prosecutor Elections in Ohio
In a new article from Bolts, journalist Daniel Nichanian writes about the dearth of candidates in Ohio’s county prosecutor elections. “Of the 27 counties with more than 100,000 residents in Ohio, 70 percent drew just one candidate” to run for election or reelection as county prosecutor. Only 15 of Ohio’s 88 prosecutor elections this year drew multiple candidates by the December deadline, according to Bolts’ research: “This means that the vast majority of the state’s prosecuting attorneys are running unopposed this year; Bolts has confirmed that no more than one candidate has…
Read MoreJan 12, 2024
State Legislative Roundup: New Legislation on the Death Penalty
The first month of 2024 marks the start of new legislative sessions for many states and a number of new proposals pertaining to the death penalty.
Read MoreDec 13, 2023
After Five-Year Execution Pause, Ohio Leaders Question Value of Death Penalty
A proposed death penalty repeal bill in the Ohio legislature is drawing attention to the state’s five-year pause on executions, and leading state officials from both parties to question whether the death penalty system is working. Ohio Attorney General David Yost (pictured) summed up the situation by saying, “This system satisfies nobody. Those who oppose the death penalty want it abolished altogether, not ticking away like a time bomb that might or might not explode. Those who support the death penalty want it to be fair, timely and effective. Neither…
Read MoreNov 02, 2023
Under Recent State Legislation, Courts in Ohio and Kentucky Rule Four Men Ineligible for Execution Due to Serious Mental Illness
Though the Supreme Court has ruled that the Constitution forbids the death penalty for a person who is “insane” at the time of execution, it has never held that the execution of people with serious mental illness is unconstitutional. Experts have found that two in five people executed between 2000 and 2015 had a mental illness diagnosis such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or PTSD. Since 2017, at least eleven states have attempted to strengthen protections for vulnerable prisoners by introducing bills barring the execution of those with serious mental illness…
Read MoreSep 26, 2023
New DPIC Podcast: Evangelical Pastor Rich Nathan Discusses How a “Culture of Life” Informs His Opposition to the Death Penalty
In the September 2023 episode of Discussions with DPIC, Anne Holsinger, Managing Director of DPIC, speaks with Pastor Rich Nathan (pictured), founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus, an evangelical Christian church based in Ohio. Mr. Nathan shares how religious teachings inform his position on the death penalty. “For me, the opposition to capital punishment has just been a natural extension of our pro-life position of building an inclusive society, a society that welcomes everyone into the human family and says. ‘Listen, your worth is not dependent on whether somebody wants you or…
Read MoreSep 12, 2023
Ohio General Assembly Resumes Bipartisan Efforts to Abolish the Death Penalty
On September 6, 2023, a bipartisan group of Ohio state representatives reintroduced a bill that would abolish the death penalty and replace the punishment with life in prison without parole. Legislators in Ohio have debated the use of capital punishment for nearly a decade, but this renewed effort comes after state senators introduced Senate Bill 101 earlier in the year, which would also abolish the use of capital punishment. Among the primary sponsors of these bills is Representative Jean Schmidt (R‑Loveland). Representative Schmidt cited her pro-life values in her support…
Read MoreAug 09, 2023
NEW VOICES: Op-Eds Highlight Opposing Viewpoints on Ohio’s Death Penalty
In light of the five-year anniversary of Ohio’s last execution, two op-eds highlighting different views about the death penalty were published in the Dayton Daily News. On August 1, Louis Tobin (pictured right), Executive Director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, expressed his support for the death penalty, and two days later, Reverend Dr. Crystal Walker (pictured left), co-chair of Ohioans to Stop Executions, expressed her support for alternatives to the death penalty.
Read MoreJul 18, 2023
Ohio Joins Fifteen Other States Without an Execution in 5 Years
Today marks the five-year anniversary of Ohio’s last execution, which took place on July 18, 2018. Ohio now joins 15 other states without an execution in the past five years. Although there is no formal moratorium, Governor Mike DeWine has issued several reprieves due to concerns about the lethal injection protocol and the difficulty the state has had obtaining lethal injection drugs. Ohio has executed 56 people in the modern death penalty era, placing it 8th overall in the number of executions in the United States.
Read MoreJun 23, 2023
Lamont Hunter Released From Death Row on Plea Agreement Amid Review of New Evidence
On June 15, 2023, Ohio death-sentenced prisoner Lamont Hunter (pictured) was released after serving nearly 18 years for allegedly causing the death of his 3‑year-old son, Trustin Blue. To obtain his freedom, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. Prosecutors agreed to offer a plea deal after Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian A. Jenkins set bond for Mr. Hunter and dismissed prosecutors’ request to deny his bond.
Read MoreMay 11, 2023
First Hearing Held on Ohio Legislation to Abolish the Death Penalty
On May 9, 2023, the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on Senate Bill 101 that would abolish the state’s death penalty. The co-sponsors of the bill, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio (D‑Lakewood) and Senator Stephen Huffman (R‑Tipp City), argued in favor of the bill’s passage and noted that more than one-third of Ohio’s senators have signed on as sponsors.
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