Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine delays three executions, citing problems obtaining lethal drugs – The Columbus Dispatch

Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday delayed the executions of three men that were scheduled for this summer, citing the state’s ongoing difficulty in obtaining the lethal drugs needed to put them to death.
The execution dates for the men are on a three-year hold after DeWine announced lethal injection — the state’s only method for carrying out a death sentence — isn’t possible because pharmaceutical companies have not sold drugs for this purpose.
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The governor’s office said in a statement the move is “due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction … without endangering other Ohioans.”
The three latest executions to be delayed are:
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As an incoming governor in early 2019, DeWine delayed his first execution after a federal judge sitting in Dayton compared Ohio’s execution method to torture. He delayed more executions after The Dispatch reported on methods that state officials were using to obscure the sources of execution drugs in the face of strong objections by manufacturers to the use of their products in the Ohio death chamber.
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Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, breaking news and social justice issues. Reach him at elagatta@dispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.

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