COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has rescheduled the execution of a condemned killer of two who received a rare last-minute reprieve.
The two-week delay ordered by Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday night spared Abdul Awkal just hours before he was set to die for killing his estranged wife and brother-in-law in a Cleveland courthouse in 1992.
The Supreme Court today set a new date of June 20 for Awkal.
Kasich granted the reprieve to allow a Cuyahoga County judge time to have a hearing on Awkal’s mental competency.
Awkal’s attorneys argue he is so mentally ill he believes the CIA is orchestrating his execution.
The state opposes any delay, saying several courts have upheld Awkal’s competency.
Comments
I have always been for the death penalty. After recently having a few bouts with bad luck & health problems I wonder if staying on this planet (behind bars) may be a better punishment than death. Although I would suggest these killers only get enough food to keep them alive and nothing else except maybe a bible to read
Playing the 'mentally ill game' is as old as bleeding-heart lawyers themselves. This guy has been kept alive at our expense for 20 years too many already. After 20 years of incarceration, how can they even run any tests for mental competency? The time to do that was in 1992. Now, it's time to carry out what the courts at that time sentenced this cold-blooded killer to.