Ohio inmate to be executed Tuesday found unconscious

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Prison officials in Ohio say an inmate scheduled to be executed Tuesday has been found unconscious in prison.

Prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn says Lawrence Reynolds Jr. (pictured) was found unconscious about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. Walburn says it appears Reynolds injured himself and that authorities are investigating a possible attempted overdose of pills. She did not know what kind.

Reynolds is hospitalized in serious condition.

Walburn says the state has a constitutional duty to care for Reynolds. It was unclear Monday whether his execution would go forward.

He was sentenced to die for the 1994 killing of a 67-year-old neighbor woman.

Source: AP, March 8, 2010

Inmate who killed Cuyahoga Falls woman found unconscious in cell; execution might be delayed

Tuesday's scheduled execution of convicted killer Lawrence Reynolds Jr. might be delayed after he was found unconscious in his cell Sunday night.

Reynolds — who was scheduled to die for killing his neighbor, Loretta Foster of Cuyahoga Falls, in 1994 — was found unconscious at 11:30 p.m. Sunday in his cell at the Ohio State Penitentiary.

He is currently in serious condition at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown.

''We suspect self-injurious behavior and possibly an attempted overdose,'' said Julie Walburn, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Walburn said officials believe Reynolds may have overdosed on pills. She did not know what kind.

Walburn said Reynolds is currently unconscious but could not provide further information.

Reynolds' death warrant expires Tuesday at midnight.

He cannot be executed until he is healthy enough to be released from the hospital. [Emphasis added by this blog's author]

Walburn said the state has a constitutional duty to care for Reynolds.

It was unclear today whether his execution would go forward.

Source: Ohio.com, March 8, 2010

UPDATE: Today, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland issued a one week reprieve. Execution is now scheduled for next Tuesday morning, March 16.

"Ties Go to the Grim Reaper" by Jeff Gamso - More here on Lawrence Reynolds Jr.