Ohio May Execute 66 Year Old Reginald Brooks on November 15: Clemency Requests and Court Rulings Are Not Favorable
Over in Ohio, Reginald Brooks and his ace defense team are fighting against an execution date of November 15, 2011, when Brooks is scheduled for capital punishment in the homicides of his three sons, killed long ago while they slept (in 1982).
A federal district judge has failed to find error in the changes that the State of Ohio made in its execution methodology: Judge Gregory Frost then rejected Mr. Brooks' motion that his execution be delayed.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Ohio Supreme Court issued its determinations that denied several different requests by Mr. Brooks, also declining to delay an execution day that is two weeks away.
Read that summary disposition here.
Defense attorneys are working very, very hard on this case. Brooks' age has been the basis for requests of mercy and clemency, and arguments have been advanced that he suffers from mental illness.
The Ohio Parole Board came down against clemency in an unanimous vote on Monday. Read their Clemency Report here.
There's not many more tools in the defense team's tool box. Time is running out and no powers that be have seen fit to extend that execution schedule.
Hat's off to that defense team, today and every day through November 15, 2011. Few can understand the emotional, raw, intense efforts those death penalty defense attorneys are experiencing right now.
Perhaps knowing that your work is being acknowledged and appreciated by more folk than you know will be of some help to you. Because it's out here.
