By J.D. DAVIDSON
THE CENTER SQUARE REGIONAL EDITOR
(The Center Square) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine postponed two more executions, citing ongoing issues with pharmaceutical suppliers and continuing a pattern established since he took office in 2019.
They are the sixth executions stopped in a little less than five months by Gov. DeWine, who in late 2018 declared an “unofficial moratorium” on executions, saying lethal injection is not an option in Ohio any longer.
Gov. DeWine moved the execution date of Antonio Franklin, who was scheduled to die Jan. 12, to Feb. 11, 2026. Also, he rescheduled the execution date of Stanley Fitzpatrick from Feb. 15 to April 16, 2026.
Mr. Franklin was convicted of killing his uncle and grandparents in 1997. Mr. Fitzpatrick received a death sentence for killing his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter, along with a neighbor, in Hamilton County in 2001.
Gov. DeWine said the reprieves are due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans.
More than a year ago, state lawmakers introduced a bill that would end the death penalty in Ohio. The legislation, introduced by a bipartisan group of representatives, failed to move forward after facing opposition from House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima.
That bill was the sixth time legislation had been introduced to stop state executions.
Speaker Cupp, a former Court of Appeals judge and Ohio Supreme Court justice, said at the time the death penalty is suitable in some situations.
The state’s next scheduled execution is in October for Quisi Bryan, who was convicted of killing a Cleveland police officer in 2000.
The state’s last execution came in July 2018.
A federal judge ruled in 2019 the state’s current execution procedure could cause severe pain and suffering. After that ruling, Gov. DeWine ordered the prison system to search for alternatives.
Ohio has put to death 56 people since 1999.
