Reactions to another Ohio execution delay
This local news article provides some background on and reactions to Ohio’s inability to proceed yesterday with the scheduled execution of Kenneth Biros because of on-going lethal injection litigation (background here and here). Here are snippets:
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins explained that Biros has requested that a full panel of federal appellate judges hear his claim to rejoin the lethal injection lawsuit. He recently was dismissed from the action on the grounds that his claim was not filed in a timely manner…. “We’re disappointed and angry this execution didn’t go forward. The claims on the part of Biros are completely frivolous and unreasonable,” Watkins said.
The prosecutor said he will now have to wait until the 6th Circuit case and any appeals from that play out before seeking a new execution date for Biros. “This has been frustrating and placed a lot of stress on a lot of people,” Watkins said.
Watkins still believes justice will be served. “I’m confident we’ll see him executed,” Watkins said. “The victims deserve no less and the public deserves to have laws enforced in a timely fashion. The number of appeals is burdensome. It’s been 16 years.”
Also hoping for justice is [murder victim Tami] Engstrom’s mother, Mary Jane Heiss, whose shoulders slumped at the weight of her disappointment. “It hurts me to see my family, especially my kids, in so much pain. I live for them, but I hate to see them suffer,” she said, vowing to keep fighting to see that Biros pays for Tami’s death.
The irony of Biros’ claim is cruel punishment was nearly unconscionable to Watkins. “You want to see cruel punishment? Look what he did to Tami. That is cruel and unusual punishment. The Ohio Supreme Court already ruled that lethal injection can be used. We used to have the electric chair and hangings. There is no painless way to die.”…
This AP story provides additional details on some of Biros’ other still-pending legal claims and also has more reactions to yesterday’s developments:
Engstrom’s sister, Debi Heiss, 41, of Hubbard, told The Herald in Sharon, Pa., that members of her family, who spent most of Tuesday waiting for the execution in a hotel near the prison, were furious over the delay. “We just want it to end,” she said. “We want to get on with our lives, we want to close the chapter.”
Attorney General Marc Dann said he would renew his efforts to have the sentence carried out. “Legal issues aside, I want to express my sympathy and compassion for the family and friends of Tami Engstrom who have been living with the pain of their tragic loss for the past 16 years,” Dann said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Biros waited for the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ohio’s death house. When told of the ruling, Biros’ mother clasped his hands through the bars of his cell and he thanked God…. Biros also was with a priest when [his attorney] gave them word of the ruling, and two sisters, a brother and a family friend also were at the prison, the attorney said. “There was a lot of crying, a lot of hugging,” he said.