COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday delayed a death row inmate’s February execution for just over a year as the state struggles to find an adequate supply of drugs for lethal injection.
The Republican governor’s warrant of reprieve was issued for condemned prisoner Melvin Bonnell, sentenced to die for killing Robert Bunner in Bunner’s Cleveland apartment in 1987. The reprieve moved Bonnell’s execution from Feb. 12 to March 18, 2021.
DeWine says the state is at a standstill because it’s unable to obtain drugs. He’s also expressed concern that drug companies-which oppose use of their drugs in executions-could pull pharmaceuticals from state hospitals to punish Ohio if it did find drugs for lethal injection.
GOP House Speaker Larry Householder said Thursday it may be time to reconsider capital punishment in light of the drug shortage.
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