By Alisha Dixon
Death row inmate Romell Broom was denied an appeal from the U.S. Supreme after he was unsuccessfully executed in 2009 under the watch of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
For two hours, Broom cried in agony due to the pain from being stuck with 18 needles during the botched execution. It was eventually called off by by then Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. A second execution will be scheduled within the next few years.
Broom, 60, is the only person to survive lethal injection and the second survive an execution in United States.
Broom was convicted and given the death penalty for raping and killing a 14-year-old girl. The incident occurred Cleveland in 1984.
Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan said they would have granted Broom’s appeal, with Breyer saying the execution attempt took place under “especially cruel and unusual circumstances.”
The botched execution brings to question Ohio’s ability to affectively and humanely perform executions.
Broom’s lawyer, attorney Adele Shank said the state violated his rights and failed to use the incident as a learning tool.
“Here the court had the opportunity to address a case where there was a living person there to vindicate their constitutional rights,” Shank said. “So it’s very disappointing that this unique opportunity was not accepted for review by the court.”
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