NEWS (9/4/20) — Ohio: Citing an unwillingness to endanger public health, Governor Mike DeWine has issued a new set of reprieves that will push back the first three executions scheduled in Ohio for 2021 until at least 2023. In a news release, the Governor’s office said he issued the reprieves “due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction … without endangering other Ohioans.” DeWine previously said that pharmaceutical companies had threatened to stop selling drugs to the state for medical use if Ohio diverted the medicines to the prison system for use in executions.
Gov. DeWine rescheduled the January 13, 2021 execution of Cleveland Jackson for June 15, 2023; moved James O’Neal scheduled execution from February 18, 2021 to August 16, 2023; and reset the execution of Melvin Bonnell from March 18, 2021 to October 18, 2023. DeWine and his predecessor, former Governor John Kasich, granted reprieves of 14 executions that had been scheduled for 2020. Ohio courts have stayed two legally premature execution dates in 2020 to permit death-row prisoners to pursue their appeals and four other 2020 Ohio execution dates have been withdrawn.
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