A little over a week after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced he was staying five state killings planned for this year, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced he was postponing the September execution of Kareem Jackson.
Both states execute by lethal injection, and both cited issues with that method as their reason for issuing stays.
In Ohio, DeWine said he was rescheduling Jackson’s September 15 execution date to December 10, 2025, because of the state’s inability to obtain lethal injection drugs from pharmaceutical companies. Ohio’s last execution was in July 2018 because of a lack of supply.
According to Cleveland, DeWine wants state lawmakers to approve an alternative execution method, “a step the legislature has so far shown no interest in taking.” DeWine is concerned that if the state uses drugs meant for medical use in executions, pharmaceutical companies will refuse to sell any of its drugs to the state. “That would endanger the ability of thousands of Ohioans — such as Medicaid recipients, state troopers, and prison inmates — to get drugs through state programs,” the outlet reports.
As a result, the governor repeatedly postpones execution dates (this is the fourth time Jackson’s was rescheduled). According to the Death Penalty Information Center, of the 68 execution dates set for August 2018 through the end of 2022, 45 have been rescheduled after being halted by reprieves issued by former Governor John Kasich or by Gov. DeWine.
Quisi Bryan, convicted of killing a Cleveland police officer in 2000, is the next person scheduled to be killed. Still, it is expected DeWine will postpone his October 26 execution date as well.