COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. John Kasich on
Friday granted an eight-month reprieve to a condemned killer following
last month’s execution of an inmate who repeatedly gasped in the state’s
longest lethal-injection procedure.
The ruling by Kasich delays
until Nov. 19 the execution of Gregory Lott, who was sentenced to death
for setting an 82-year-old man on fire during a break-in and leaving him
to die.
Attorneys for Lott have sued in federal court to stop his
execution, arguing the Ohio’s new two-drug combination puts him at risk
of unnecessary pain and suffering. Lott’s attorneys also allege Ohio is
breaking state and federal laws because it has obtained the drugs
without a prescription.
The reprieve says only that "circumstances exist justifying the grant of a temporary reprieve."

Death
row inmate Dennis McGuire, during his 26-minute execution on Jan. 16,
made repeated snorting sounds and opened and shut his mouth several
times.
McGuire’s family sued the state, arguing the execution was
cruel and inhumane. Initial reviews by the Department of Rehabilitation
and Correction determined written procedures were followed and there is
no need to change them.
The prisons agency is conducting a longer review looking at what happened during the execution.
"Gregory
Lott committed a heinous crime for which he will be executed, and his
execution is being moved to November 19 as DRC finishes its current
review," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said.
Federal public
defender Steve Ferrell, representing Lott, said he was happy with the
news and glad the execution wasn’t being rushed.
A leading anti-death penalty group praised Kasich’s decision.
"The
unanswered questions that arose during the execution of Dennis McGuire
will require time to address," said Kevin Werner, executive director of
Ohioans to Stop Executions. "The governor’s actions today suggest he
wants answers and is taking the appropriate steps while the
investigation continues."
Lott, 52, was sentenced to die for
killing John McGrath by setting him on fire in his East Cleveland home
in 1986. McGrath died in a hospital 11 days after the fire. Lott came
within a few days of being executed in 2004 until federal courts allowed
further appeals.
With Lott’s execution postponed, the next
execution would come May 28, when Arthur Tyler is scheduled to die for
killing a produce vendor in Cleveland during a 1983 robbery.
Lott’s reprieve isn’t the first Kasich has issued, and it’s no guarantee the execution won’t happen
eventually.
Brett
Hartman was executed on Nov. 13, 2012, about a year after Kasich
granted a reprieve following a court decision that criticized Ohio’s
execution process.
Billy Slagle was scheduled for execution last
August after receiving a reprieve a year before, and he would have been
put to death had he not committed suicide first.
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Associated
Press writer Ann Sanner contributed to this report. Welsh-Huggins can
be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus
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