COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) has rejected a request for mercy from a death row inmate expected to be the nation's first executed solely with an anesthetic used for assisted suicides and medically induced comas.
The Republican on Friday denied the request by 37-year-old Johnnie Baston, who's scheduled to die Thursday for killing a South Korean immigrant who operated retail stores in Toledo. The victim's family opposes the death penalty and the execution.
The Ohio Parole Board last month recommended against clemency, saying the execution-style killing and Baston's failure to accept responsibility outweigh the family's beliefs.
Baston has asked for mercy based on his chaotic upbringing. He's to be executed with pentobarbital, never used before by itself in a U.S. execution.
The state switched to the drug because the one it used previously was in short supply.