News
Kasich Grants Reprieve to Cleveland Jackson and Commutes Sentence of Raymond Tibbetts
COLUMBUS – Today Gov. John R. Kasich granted a reprieve to delay the execution of Cleveland Jackson and commuted the death sentence of Raymond Tibbetts to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jackson had been scheduled to be executed on September 13, 2018 and Tibbetts on October 17, 2018. Cleveland Jackson was convicted […]
Joshua Dressler: Ray Tibbetts’ case is exactly what executive clemency is for
In my more than four decades as a law professor, I have studied issues of fairness in our criminal justice system, particularly in the area of the death penalty. Thus I was struck by a question that a juror who served Ray Tibbetts’ capital trial, Ross Allen Geiger, posed in a letter to Gov. John […]
George D. Alexander: a retired warden supports clemency for death row inmate Ray Tibbetts
I spent almost 30 years of my life working in the Ohio prison system, beginning as a chaplain at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. I later worked in a number of other positions, eventually serving as warden at Madison, London and Pickaway correctional institutions. My time working directly with inmates showed me what my faith […]
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com Editorial Board: An appropriate case for the Governor to grant clemency
John Kasich made an unusual request of the Ohio Parole Board. The governor received a letter from a juror in a capital punishment case going back two decades. The juror explained that he had discovered the public record now contains more information about the case than was presented to the jury. He told the governor […]
Column: Juror’s concern requires clemency for Tibbetts
“As a former Ohio prosecutor and judge, I have great respect for our criminal-justice system. However, even our system fails sometimes. When that happens, I believe we must correct those mistakes. Such an opportunity will be before the Ohio Parole Board on June 14 when it considers clemency for death-row prisoner Raymond Tibbetts.” To read […]
Governor commutes death sentence of convicted murderer
COLUMBUS — Convicted murderer William T. Montgomery has been spared from Ohio’s lethal injection gurney. Without comment, Gov. John Kasich on Monday commuted Montgomery’s death sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole, agreeing with the 6-4 recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board on March 16. Read the full story here
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com editorial board: The parole board’s good reasons for advising clemency
The Ohio Parole Board reached the right conclusion last week in recommending that John Kasich commute the death sentence of William Montgomery. Next, the governor should concur with more fitting sentence of life without parole. Too much doubt surrounds this case for the state to go forward with the execution, currently scheduled for April 11. […]
Jack Sullivan: Gov. Kasich, heed Ohio Parole Board and don’t execute William Montgomery (Opinion)
FINDLAY, Ohio — The families of murder victims deserve the truth about what happened to our loved ones. We want the offenders punished, but we certainly don’t want the wrong persons held accountable. Unless Gov. John Kasich acts on the recommendation of the Ohio Parole Boardto not execute William Montgomery, that horrifically unfortunate scenario could become […]