Ohio’s new governor signs three reprieves

I predicted to my students in my Death Penalty Course yesterday that this weekend might bring some interesting Ohio capital action because an execution was scheduled (though stayed) for next Tuesday.  And now I have just seen a report that Ohio’s new Governor has not even waited for the weekend.  Here’s the report I saw from a state news agency:

[On Friday], the governor signed warrants that delay the executions of three Death Row inmates who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in January or February.  The warrants provide the new governor additional time to review the sentences imposed on Kenneth Biros, James Filiaggi and Christopher Newton.

This brief AP report states that “Biros was granted a reprieve until March 20, Filiaggi to April 24, and Newton to May 24.”   Among other interesting aspects of this development is that Christopher Newton is a so-called “volunteer” who has dropped his appeals.  Will the “right to die” crowd to come out and complain about Newton having his death wish delayed?

Of course, the place to go to get all the details (and the likely storm of new coverage) is the Ohio Death Penalty Information blog.