He continued: "There are a lot of people out there talking about other solutions. I've heard everything from using heroin to using nitrogen to going back to using the electric chair. That's a debate that probably need to have."
Ohio replaced the gallows with the electric chair in 1897. Ohio electrocuted 312 men and three women between 1897 and 1963, beginning with a 17-year-old boy from Hamilton County. The state officially retired "Old Sparky" in February 2002.
On Monday, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced execution dates would be bumped to 2017 and beyond while the state works to get the drugs needed for lethal injections. Ohio has not had an execution since January 2014 when the execution of killer-rapist Dennis McGuire took 26 minutes. DRC used a previously untested drug combo to execute McGuire.
Gallup Poll reported last week that 61 percent of adult Americans favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, down from 63 percent in 2009. That marks a gradual decline in support for capital punishment since reaching a high-point of 80 percent in 1994, according to Gallup.
Credit: Laura Bischoff
Credit: Laura Bischoff
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