For the heinous slaughter of a 3-year-old toddler in a North Olmsted parking lot, the murderer is awarded lifetime care in a state institution (“Woman gets life for murder of 3-year-old Julian Wood,” Oct. 28). That is not justice. A life of care and feeding is an attractive prospect for the malignant monsters among us. Only capital punishment is a deterrent for them.
Ohio has a death penalty statute. But a Gov. Mike DeWine-imposed moratorium due to the “impossibility” of obtaining approved death-penalty drugs has thwarted justice. Opponents of the death penalty contend it is not a deterrent. Of course it is not a deterrent, because it is rarely enforced!
With over 4,000 overdose deaths a year in Ohio, there is no shortage of lethal drugs. The legislature must act to expand approval of effective drugs for executions to discourage murders. Fentanyl and opioids are widely available and obviously effective…