Moreland was convicted in April 1986 of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder and was sentenced to die for the Nov. 1, 1985, deaths of his girlfriend, Glenna Green, 46; Green’s daughter, Lana Green, 23; and Green’s grandchildren — Datrin Talbott, 7; Datwan Talbott, 6; and Voilana Green, 6 — and for beating or shooting three other children: Dayron Talbott, 11; Tia Green, 5; and Glenna Talbott, 2.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office was notified of Moreland’s death, but it did not meet criteria for an autopsy. His cause of death is pending receipt of the death certificate from the Columbus Public Health Office of Vital Statistics, Smith said. However, the document has not yet been issued, according to the health department.
Moreland was transferred in mid-November from Ohio’s Death Row at the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe. The Dayton Daily News had a Nov. 18 interview scheduled with Moreland, but the prison notified the newspaper on Nov. 17 that Moreland would not be available because of the transfer for an unspecified medical reason.
Following several delays, his execution date was most recently scheduled for July 19, 2028. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued reprieves due to ongoing problems finding pharmaceutical suppliers willing to provide drugs used for legal injection.
The family’s deaths were discovered the night of Nov. 1, 1985, by Tia Talbott, who returned to 35 S. Ardmore Ave. after a trip to the grocery store. Moreland was not home but was arrested when he returned. Police found a bloody $20 bill in his pocket and gunshot residue on his hands.
Moreland was convicted partly on the testimony of Dayron Talbott, who said he saw Moreland shoot his grandmother before turning the gun on him. Talbott, who was shot in the hand and face and beaten unconscious, provided key eyewitness testimony during the trial.
Moreland at one time claimed he was too drunk to remember anything after 10 p.m. that night, and his blood-alcohol content measured 0.225 percent, almost three times Ohio’s 0.08 legal limit to drive.
In another account, he said he drank four bottles of wine that day, including one with Glenna Green, then came home at 10:30 p.m. and encountered three men. He said he fought with the men before being hit on the head and tied up. He then claimed he managed to escape through a window and struggled with a second man before falling to the ground.
Once he got away, he said he went and drank some more wine with his friends before coming home, when he was arrested.
Moreland waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted by a three-judge panel.
He mounted several appeals, claiming he didn’t consent to waive his right to a jury trial and that his defense attorneys brought him to court while he was under the influence of a powerful sedative. His appeals failed in both state and federal courts.
Moreland previously was scheduled to be executed July 30, 2025, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a reprieve to July 19, 2028, due to ongoing problems finding pharmaceutical suppliers willing to provide the drugs used to conduct lethal injections.
