COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s governor has granted an eight-month reprieve to a condemned killer following last month’s execution of an inmate who repeatedly gasped and took 26 minutes to die.
Friday’s decision delays the March 19 execution of Gregory Lott, sentenced to death for setting a man on fire in 1986 and leaving him to die. Lott’s new execution date is Nov. 19.
The reprieve follows an uproar over the Jan. 16 execution of Dennis McGuire.
READ MORE: No changes needed to Ohio execution policy after inmate’s prolonged death
Lott has sued in federal court to stop his execution, arguing Ohio’s new two-drug method creates risk of a cruel and inhumane death.
McGuire’s family has sued the state.
The governor’s spokesman says Lott “committed a heinous crime” but his execution date is being changed as the correction department finishes a review of McGuire’s execution.
Federal public defender Steve Ferrell, representing Lott, said he was happy with the news.
READ MORE: Family of executed inmate sues state, drug makers over prolonged execution
A leading anti-death penalty group praised Kasich’s decision.
“The unanswered questions that arose during the execution of Dennis McGuire will require time to address,” said Kevin Werner, executive director of Ohioans to Stop Executions. “The governor’s actions today suggest he wants answers and is taking the appropriate steps while the investigation continues.”
With Lott’s execution postponed, the next execution would come May 28, when Arthur Tyler is scheduled to die for killing a person during a 1983 robbery.
Lott’s reprieve isn’t the first Kasich has issued, and it’s no guarantee the execution won’t happen eventually.
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