The Ohio Parole Board has released its recommendation on whether Governor John Kasich should spare the life of a man who killed two people in back-to-back robberies in Parma almost exactly 25 years ago.
Kasich took some unrelated action on executions while waiting on that report. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.
The parole board unanimously recommended Kasich reject clemency for 45 year old Gary Otte, who shot two people in their apartments in back to back robberies in Parma on February 12 and 13, 1992. Otte was sentenced to die for the murders of 61 year-old Robert Wasikowski and 45 year-old Sharon Kostura. The parole board says those crimes were senseless, callous and "henious", and that Otte had made many wrong choices in his life that he got a fair trial. Kasich has not issued a decision on clemency for Otte yet, but he did delay his March 15 execution till June 13. Kasich moved back eight executions because no ruling is expected in the court battle over Ohio's lethal injection method before the first scheduled execution on February 15.
