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Death-row inmate returns to Youngstown after apparent suicide try
TweetBy MARC KOVAC
news@vindy.com
Lawrence Reynolds Sr.
COLUMBUS — Death-row inmate Lawrence Reynolds was back at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown on Tuesday afternoon and under round-the-clock observation to prevent a repeat of what appears to be a suicide attempt late Sunday.
Reynolds returned to the Youngstown prison just after noon after spending about two days in a hospital after attempting to overdose on prescription drugs.
Julie Walburn, state prisons spokeswoman, said he is being kept in a different cell, away from other inmates, with additional restrictions on his access to personal belongs and activities.
“He will no longer be able to have recreation,” she said. “We are making accommodations to ensure he has attorney access. ... He won’t be leaving that cell that he’s in right now except under special precautions.”
Prison officials also are continuing to investigate how Reynolds obtained enough prescription pills to attempt an overdose.
“Part of what we are looking into is anyone he would have had contact with and whether that contributed to the incident,” Walburn said.
Reynolds has admitted to prison staff that he took quantities of a prescription drug as part of an overdose that left him unconscious and postponed his scheduled execution by a week.
Walburn said it is still not known how Reynolds obtained quantities of the drug. She would not disclose the type of drug, nor how often Reynolds receives doses, citing the inmate’s medical confidentiality.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Walburn said, adding, “We’re looking at all factors surrounding [this incident] as part of the investigation.”
Reynolds was to be transported to the Death House at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville early Monday.
But he was found unconscious in his cell at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and was transported by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown.
Gov. Ted Strickland denied clemency for Reynolds on Monday but issued a seven-day reprieve, postponing his scheduled execution for a week. He is now set to be executed next Tuesday.
Strickland, who worked as a prison psychologist at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, said it isn’t unusual for inmates to hoard and exchange medications.
“Having worked in the prison system, I am hugely aware that the inmate population can be very creative in trying to break the rules and overcome the rules,” he said. “It’s happened, but I think these kinds of occurrences, in terms of inmates’ passing medications and saving medications up and doing those kinds of things, is not a terribly rare thing to have happened.”
Strickland speculated that’s what happened in Reynolds’ case.
“Inmates on death row, obviously some of them are on medications of different kinds,” he said. “So I am speculating that they saved up their medications and gave it to this inmate so that he could have a sufficient amount to try to take an overdose. I’m not certain that’s how it happened. ... I’m speculating, but I’m speculating out of experience that that’s likely what happened.”
Strickland added, concerning prison officials’ efforts to restore Reynolds’ health before his scheduled lethal injection, “It is ironic, obviously, that you would work to keep someone alive when they are scheduled to be executed. But I think the law apparently is very clear that the state has the obligation to attend to an inmate’s medical needs, even a condemned person, until such time as the date of execution occurs and they are in fact executed.”
In January 1994, Reynolds conned his way into the Cuyahoga Falls home of Loretta Mae Foster, a 67-year-old neighbor. He beat her with a tent pole, tied her up with a telephone cord and strangled her.
Reynolds took about $40 in cash and a blank check belonging to the victim; Foster’s nude body was later found on the floor of her house, after Reynolds bragged to friends about the killing. He was convicted for murder, kidnapping, burglary and attempted rape and sentenced to death.
Comments
"But I think the law apparently is very clear that the state has the obligation to attend to an inmate’s medical needs, even a condemned person, until such time as the date of execution occurs and they are in fact executed.”
Wish the victim(s) could've had the medical needs for them. Now this animal gets to live another week. Squash this cockroach.
He's chickening out,..
My question is whats the protocol of allowing inmates to have any honor system access to taking their meds?
I understand and somewhat begrudgingly support the rule / law. That informs that prior to execution date the administering of all medical aide to the inmate is to be adhered to.
This piece of work appears to had wanted to buy time or subvert the rule of law once again. By trying to deny the family of his victim their right to watch him put to death.
Now for those of the victims family whom could have held out even the slightest sense of forgiveness.
His actions are those of one that would even make that more difficult.
For what he did he should be partially electrocuted, non fatally shot, stabbed, chocked and slapped profusely. Prior to administering a slow acting dosage of the lethal introversion concoction that's to execute him.
Which while it was progressing throughout his rotten system he then be brutally kicked and savagely struck.
While being informed of the absolute non acceptance for what he did to that poor woman is why he's being escort him to hell in such a manner.
I'm not a violent nor unforgiving individual. However, I have zero tolerance for those that do things like he did to that lady.
Her life nor where her possessions were in anyway his to take and he should be ceremoniously put out in a manner that even his godless spirit and evil soul wouldn't forget.
I remember reading about that horrific crime and he merits being duly punctuated in his last chapter in a manner befitting of such a piece of trash.
Also the meds should be tracked and those inmates with contact that gave them to him. Should be made to watch and slapped to sleep into unconscious naps prior to the time for them to take their next doses.
If they wanna play teach em who they messed with. Which I'd be willing to bet it'd stop that type of behavior going forward.
May that ladies family and friends heal and her sole rest in peace. But I say that murderous thief be dealt with in the only manner he'd understand before he's allowed to exit the planet,.. or the facility.
That's why I keep saying our government doesn't make sense at times. When he was unconscious they could of gave him something to just get it over with. Now they letting him get better enough to just kill him.
@22
Not at all,..
See to impose the death penalty upon himself at a time and manner of his choice isn't his right nor choice,.. and he desperately tried and miserably failed.
For the commission of his horrific crime He's been duly given a sentence that includes time, date, location and manner for his intolerable deed. For which he's going to be shown he's not at any liberty to change nor undermine that.
In essence he's merely tortured himself by failing to pull off his last attempt to offend the victims family and subvert rule of law.
Now he knows he's going to meet his fate at the time and by the conditions ordered by law and that's final,.. he's now existing in humiliated and powerless sufferance.
He absolutely hates that and the victim's family and friends along with members of society that he'd outraged. Should find solace in seeing now he's the one suffering and there's not a damn thing he can do about it.
See those family members reserve the right to witness his methodical demise and he tried to violate them again by trying to deny them that right.
Thus now when those reserving their right to watch him put away. As well as when society receives the announcement his no good existence been eradicated.
It will be mortal justice served and knowing he is and was as powerless to avert it as that innocent lady he took from her family, friends and society.
In short sum he's a worthlessly gutless intolerance comprised of savage cowardice,.. he's facing that now.
Thus he's damn well going to be powerlessly treated like one. By being finished off at a time and manner not to his liking,.. no if's, ands or but's about it.