In a peti­tion to the Ohio Parole Board, Cuyahoga County pros­e­cu­tor Tim McGinty (pic­tured) request­ed the death sen­tence of Arthur Tyler be reduced to life in prison with­out parole. McGinty said, ​“At the time of Tyler’s tri­al, Ohio law did not allow for the pos­si­bil­i­ty of a sen­tence of life with­out parole for an aggra­vat­ed mur­der conviction.…In light of the lim­it­ed sen­tenc­ing options, the absence of the option of a sen­tence of life with­out the pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole in this case may have led to the impo­si­tion of the death sen­tence.” The peti­tion also said that ​“evolv­ing state­ments” from Tyler’s co-defen­dant, Leroy Head, ​“are cause for con­cern” and ​“may under­mine pub­lic con­fi­dence in Tyler’s sen­tence.” Tyler has con­sis­tent­ly main­tained his inno­cence, and is ask­ing the Parole Board for a com­mu­ta­tion to a sen­tence of life with the pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole. Head was released from prison in 2008.

The clemen­cy hear­ing is sched­uled for April 24. Tyler is sched­uled for exe­cu­tion on May 28.

(“Cuyahoga Prosecutor asks for clemen­cy in Tyler case,” WKYC (Cleveland), April 22, 2014; Photo cred­it: Cleveland Plain-Dealer). See Clemency and New Voices.

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