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Death Row Inmate Challenging Use Of New Lethal Injection Drugs

A death row inmate is asking a federal judge to delay his upcoming execution while he fights the state's newly announced lethal injection process. Attorneys for Ronald Phillips say the state purposely waited until the November 14th execution grew close to make it harder for Phillips to argue against the use of a two drug injection. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

The Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation plans to execute Ronald Phillips next month.  And when it does, the state plans to use an intravenous administration of midazolam, a sedative and hydromorphone, an opiate.  In recent years, this drug combo has been the back-up method for executions but it has never been used on an Ohio inmate.  The state had to change its previous method for executing inmates when pentobarbital became unavailable for this purpose.  The state used its last supply of that drug last month during a previous execution.  Ronald Phillips is set to be executed November 14th.  He was sentenced to death in Summit County for raping, beating and killing the three year old daughter of his girlfriend back in 1993.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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