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This man stopped a Cincinnati killer’s execution. Here’s why he did it.
Ross Geiger isn’t some kind of activist when it comes to the death penalty. He’s never organized a candlelight vigil or stood outside a prison protesting an execution. He wants to be clear about that. “Everybody thinks I’m a crusader or something,” Geiger said. “They think I have no sympathy for the victims. That’s just […]
BREAKING: Ohio Governor Delays Killer’s Execution Over Juror Concerns
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Thursday delayed the execution of a killer set to die next week, citing a letter he received from a juror who asked that the inmate be spared. The Republican Kasich issued a reprieve for Raymond Tibbetts that pushed his Feb. 13 execution forward to mid-October. Kasich wants […]
As a juror who voted for death in Ray Tibbetts’ trial, I can attest we voted without the key facts: Ross Allen Geiger
LOVELAND, Ohio — Twenty years ago, the state of Ohio asked me to make one of the most consequential decisions of my life when I sat on a jury that determined whether to recommend a death sentence for Ray Tibbetts. I believed then, and I still believe, that jury service is a duty that upholds […]
Ohio Juror Voted for Death 20 Years Ago, Now Seeks Mercy
Ross Geiger had doubts about recommending a death sentence 20 years ago for a convicted Ohio killer, concerned about the impact of the offender’s tough childhood on his behavior. But ultimately, Geiger voted in favor of death for Raymond Tibbetts for killing a Cincinnati man he was staying with. Today, Geiger has changed his mind. […]
Column: Death Penalty Unjust for Opioid Addict
As the overdose crisis continues to devastate Ohio’s families, it has forced many difficult conversations about how the state — as well as the nation — approaches addiction. In this state, the governor, legislators and local officials have recognized that the most effective way to address problem drug use is through treatment and rehabilitation, rather […]
Former Tibbetts Juror: Commute Convicted Killer’s Sentence
A former juror in an Ohio murder trial that sent a man to death row is now asking Gov. John Kasich to pump the brakes on the convicted man’s Feb. 13 execution. Ross Gieger’s name appears on the list of Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas jurors who in 1998 convicted Raymond Tibbetts of murder and recommended […]
New: Former Juror Urges Gov. Kasich to Spare Ray Tibbetts from Execution Based on Information Jurors Never Heard at Trial
(Columbus, Ohio; February 1, 2018) In a rare and highly significant development, a juror from Ray Tibbetts’ capital trial has come forward to support a commutation of his death sentence due to the juror’s “deep concerns about the trial,” concluding that “[b]ased on what I know today I would not have recommended the death penalty.” Former juror […]
Lawyers say condemned Ohio killer was an early victim of opioid epidemic
Ohio Gov. John Kasich should consider his fight against the state’s deadly opioid epidemic when deciding whether to spare a condemned killer whose life spiraled out of control after becoming addicted to painkillers, say attorneys trying to stop the killer’s execution less than three weeks from now.