COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – More than 20 years after their loved ones were murdered in central Ohio, Becky Rodeniser and Jennifer Conley are still waiting for the state to execute the convicted killers.
Ohio last saw an execution in 2018. Since Gov. Mike DeWine took office in January 2019, he has repeatedly issued reprieves, or execution postponements, citing ongoing issues with pharmaceutical companies’ willingness to provide drugs to the state for capital punishment.
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With DeWine placing an unofficial pause on the death penalty, state lawmakers are trying to address the issue. As one bill aims to outlaw the death penalty altogether, another seeks to legalize putting inmates to death through the inhalation of nitrogen gas. Currently, lethal injection is the only authorized method in the state.
Lawmakers who want to outlaw the death penalty point to racial inequalities and the possibility of false convictions. Just last week, Elwood Jones became Ohio’s 12th death row exoneree. By contrast, those who want to resume the death penalty argue the state should fulfill its promises to victims’ families and the jurors who made the decision…