CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court has halted the execution of a man who strangled his 67-year-old neighbor, citing last month's failed attempt to execute another inmate in Ohio.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Monday to delay the execution of 43-year-old Lawrence Reynolds until a federal judge has time to hear arguments over problems with the Sept. 15 injection process. Reynolds had been scheduled to die Thursday.
Gov. Ted Strickland stopped the planned execution of Romell Broom after executioners tried for two hours to find a usable vein.
Broom's execution also is on hold while his attorneys prepare for a federal court hearing Nov. 30. They argue that an unprecedented second execution attempt on Broom violates a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
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