Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday halted executions in Ohio until at least December to give the state more time to review its system of lethal injection. The action follows the failed execution of Romell Broom on Sept. 15, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Since then, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has been developing a contingency plan should similar problems that arise in the future.
In Broom’s case, his executioners could not find suitable veins to administer a lethal cocktail of three drugs. Back-up options now under consideration include injecting into muscle or bone and using a single drug or different concoction of drugs. Strickland’s decision postponed the executions of Lawrence Reynolds and Darryl Durr. It followed a Monday morning decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to stay Reynolds’ execution in light of the botched Broom execution and two previous executions by lethal injection that encountered problems before succeeding.