Ohio attorneys oppose request to schedule 2nd execution attempt

Attorneys said that Romell Broom has important appeals pending and the state shouldn’t hurry to set a new date

March 23, 2017 10:43 AM

This undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows death row inmate Romell Broom, whose botched execution in September 2009 was called off after two hours when executioners failed to find a usable vein following 18 attempts to insert needles.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attorneys for a convicted Ohio killer who survived a botched execution attempt in 2009 are opposing a request to set a new execution date.

Death row inmate Romell Broom was sentenced to die for abducting, raping and killing 14-year-old Tryna Middleton in Cleveland in 1984.

The state stopped Broom’s execution after two hours in September 2009, when executioners failed to find a usable vein following 18 attempts to insert needles.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley wants the Ohio Supreme Court to set an execution date, saying Broom has stalled his execution for seven years with appeals.

Broom’s attorneys said in a Wednesday filing that Broom has important appeals pending and that the state shouldn’t be in a hurry to set a new date.