Parole board says no clemency for killer Biros

COLUMBUS — The state parole board has again recommended against clemency for convicted murderer Kenneth Biros.

The unanimous decision was given to Gov. Ted Strickland Tuesday. He will make the final call on whether to commute the death sentence of the Trumbull County man to life in prison without parole.

Biros, 51, was convicted in the February 1991 murder of Tami Engstrom, a 22-year-old woman who he offered to drive home from a Masury bar. The victim was murdered, mutilated and dismembered, with parts of her body scattered in two Pennsylvania counties.

“Following careful examination of all available factors in this case, the parole board has determined that a change in its previous unfavorable recommendation is not warranted,” board members noted in their decision. “The parole board maintains the conclusions indicated in its previous report and further concludes that a reprieve is not appropriate.”

They added: “The courts are the most appropriate place to decide whether additional time is warranted before execution to further litigate the issues surrounding lethal injection.”

Two years ago, Strickland denied clemency in the case, shortly before Biros’ execution was stayed by federal court action.

Biros was actually transported to the death house at the Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville at that time, but last-minute court actions delayed his execution.

Biros is scheduled for execution next month, but a stay in the case and expected legal wranglings over the state’s new lethal injection protocol likely mean further delays.

Read more in Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com