Thread: Ohio inmate says he's too fat for execution

Ohio inmate says he's too fat for execution

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A death row inmate scheduled for execution says he's too fat to be put to death, claiming executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.

Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey - 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds - had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.

Cooey, 41, is sentenced to die for raping and murdering two young women in 1986. His execution is scheduled for Oct. 14.

His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender's Office, said in documents filed with the court.

Heath says Cooey's weight, combined with the potential drug resistance, increases the risk he would not be properly anesthetized.

"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn't work, the execution is going to be excruciating," Cooey's public defender, Kelly Culshaw Schneider, said Monday.

Prison system spokeswoman Andrea Carson and Jim Gravelle, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, both said Monday they hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.

Last year, Carson cited the obesity of condemned inmate Christopher Newton as one of the reasons prison officials had difficulty accessing his veins before his execution. Newton was 6 feet tall and weighed 265 pounds.

Two years ago, convicted killer Jeffrey Lundgren was put to death after a federal appeals court rejected his claim that he was at greater risk of experiencing pain and suffering because he was overweight and diabetic.

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Oddly enough, he wasn't too fat and veinless to rape and murder.

It's been over 20 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about the old fashioned way....hang him??????????
Electric chair???????????????????????

The familys need closure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So stop feeding him and don't give him the meds. Problem solved.

Thanks, SeaTurtle. This is the best laugh I have had all day. To solve this problem: A) stop feeding this guy; B) try electrocution or even the guillotine if he is too fat to be able to find his veins. OF COURSE, OPTION B WOULD BE CRUEL AND INHUMANE TREATMENT.

MADNESS!

How about gas? Get it done already!

OH GOODNESS - IS THE FOOD THAT GOOD IN PRISON

PUT HIM ON A DIET OF ABOUT 1,200 CALORIES AND NO MORE! I BET HE WILL START LOSING

AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK 1,000 CALORIE MIGHT BE NEEDED!

AND THERE ARE VEINS IN THE FEET

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

OH GOODNESS - IS THE FOOD THAT GOOD IN PRISON

PUT HIM ON A DIET OF ABOUT 1,200 CALORIES AND NO MORE! I BET HE WILL START LOSING

AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK 1,000 CALORIE MIGHT BE NEEDED!

AND THERE ARE VEINS IN THE FEET

OUCH, that hurts just thinking about it, but you're right Doctors routinely remove blood from a newborn's heel for testing right after birth.


That diet sounds good, and I think the prison doctor would be happy to prescribe a healthy diet for this guy.

I read this story and was thinking WTH!

TOO BAD. EXECUTE HIM. GIVE HIM A DOUBLE DOSE IF NECESSARY. ONE POSTER SAID TO HANG HIM. I THINK THATS A GOOD IDEA. IT WILL DO THE JOB. HE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF ALL OF THIS BEFORE HE RAPED THOSE GIRLS. I AM SURE HE DID NOT TRY TO RAPE THEM "HUMANELY".

Not to sound morbid but I think an old fashion hanging sounds like it would be quick and painless for an individual that is weight challenged (morbidly obese). I'm not saying this to be insensitive, I honestly believe it.