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Too Fat to be Executed?

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

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Death row inmate says he

Lawyers for a 480-pound death row inmate in Ohio say their client is too overweight to be put to death.

"Indeed, given his unique physical and medical condition there is a substantial risk that any attempt to execute him will result in serious physical and psychological pain to him, as well as an execution involving a torturous and lingering death," reads the filing made on behalf of Ronald Post, 53, who was convicted of shooting to death hotel clerk Helen Vantz 29 years ago.

Post, who is set to be executed by lethal injection on January 16, 2013, says that his executioners would encounter several problems, including difficulty finding a viable vein for injection and the likelihood that with his unusual weight he would break any gurney used in the process.
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Wow. Really?

Firing squad?

Tread mill?

How do they euthanize zoo animals that weigh over 500 pounds?
 
Indeed it is somewhat likely that it would cause him extreme discomfort and they would probably have to use a larger amount of whatever it is they use which I am under the impression is rather expensive.

I doubt any court will stay the execution given what he did... I would hope they don't anyway.
 
The issue is a tad more complex than it may appear at first blush: this inmate is claiming that he can't reliably be executed by lethal injection because of his weight, and he has a medical history of botched non-lethal injections. It's an 8th Amendment "cruel and unusual punishment" question (and no, I don't have an opinion as to whether it has any validity.)

In 2009 here in Ohio, an execution by lethal injection failed. The inmate is still on death row, arguing that the state should not get two chances to kill him.

Romell Broom survived execution, now must stay on death row | cleveland.com

But this case is of interest to me for another reason...the murder occurred in 1983. The conviction and death sentence took place in 1985. This victim's family has endured THIRTY YEARS of appeals, delays, dates of execution, cancellation of dates of execution, ad nauseum. If this guy had gotten LWOP in 1985, they would have been sparred this horror show.

Read more here:

Convicted killer Ronald Post seeks to avoid execution by claiming he's obese | cleveland.com
 
I don't comprehend how his weight would affect 2 rounds of 7.62mm NATO to the head?
 
It seems like there's a few simple solutions. Switch to a different method of execution that would make his weight a non-issue (i.e. firing squad, or putting him in a chamber and filling it with inert gas. Or, delay it until he loses enough weight that you can kill him via lethal injection. After all, he's in prison, it shouldn't be hard to control what he eats.
 
molten_dragon said:
It seems like there's a few simple solutions. Switch to a different method of execution that would make his weight a non-issue (i.e. firing squad, or putting him in a chamber and filling it with inert gas. Or, delay it until he loses enough weight that you can kill him via lethal injection. After all, he's in prison, it shouldn't be hard to control what he eats.
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None of these reasonable ideas would pass constitutional muster. Yet another reason I object to the death penalty.
 
Pinkie said:
None of these reasonable ideas would pass constitutional muster. Yet another reason I object to the death penalty.
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I told you folks earlier.... 2 rounds of 7.62mm NATO to the head. Nice, quick, simple, inexpensive, and I guarantee it works.
 
Well - how did he get obese to that extent anyway? If the system is supporting him in all ways - how'd they just let that happen? :roll:
 
Dragonfly said:
Death row inmate says he



Wow. Really?

Firing squad?

Tread mill?

How do they euthanize zoo animals that weigh over 500 pounds?
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With a bullet to the head.

This death row inmate has got to be joking. Apparently he didn't think much about the person he killed "suffering".
 
Dragonfly said:
Death row inmate says he



Wow. Really?

Firing squad?

Tread mill?

How do they euthanize zoo animals that weigh over 500 pounds?
Click to expand...

How did he get so fat on death row? Isn't their diet controlled in prison?

If they put him on a diet he ought to be fit to kill in a couple of years.

How completely ridiculous! Just one more piece of evidence that shows that the legal system has no business executing people.
 
LowDown said:
How did he get so fat on death row? Isn't their diet controlled in prison?

If they put him on a diet he ought to be fit to kill in a couple of years.

How completely ridiculous! Just one more piece of evidence that shows that the legal system has no business executing people.
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Not normally no, most inmates can purchase a wide variety of "junk" food from the prison commissary.

I say we just drop him from a tall building, let the weight work in the states favor. The extra weight will add more force to his landing.
 
LowDown said:
How did he get so fat on death row? Isn't their diet controlled in prison?

If they put him on a diet he ought to be fit to kill in a couple of years.

How completely ridiculous! Just one more piece of evidence that shows that the legal system has no business executing people.
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Most inmates grow heavier in prison, because the food is high in starch. Also, this guy is 30 years older than he was when he went in and is in a wheelchair, so he can't exercize.

Restricting his diet so as to prepare him to be executed might take another 30 years, and although it would work, I doubt it's constitutional. Prisoners' right cases and death penalty cases lead me to believe the Supreme Court would take a dim view of putting an inmate on a diet against his will so he can be executed. (Not saying I agree -- just telling you what I think the decision would be.)

Ohio doesn't have alternative methods of execution, and even in states where they do it's the inmate's choice. Obviously, we can't execute by firing squad if we have no statute to authorize it.
 
Jetboogieman said:
Indeed it is somewhat likely that it would cause him extreme discomfort and they would probably have to use a larger amount of whatever it is they use which I am under the impression is rather expensive.

I doubt any court will stay the execution given what he did... I would hope they don't anyway.
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I don't know what they use for humans, but when my wife worked at a vet clinic and they had to put animals down they'd give them a cocktail of something to relax you (very high dose) and something to shut everything down, and neither of them were expensive so they always used a good bit over what was needed to make sure everything took.

My real problem, how is this dude this heavy in jail? I have a friend in jail and it's not possible for him to eat over 2500 calories a day. They just don't give you that much food.
 
roughdraft274 said:
I don't know what they use for humans, but when my wife worked at a vet clinic and they had to put animals down they'd give them a cocktail of something to relax you (very high dose) and something to shut everything down, and neither of them were expensive so they always used a good bit over what was needed to make sure everything took.

My real problem, how is this dude this heavy in jail? I have a friend in jail and it's not possible for him to eat over 2500 calories a day. They just don't give you that much food.
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Jail and prison are actually rather different, ironically a few people I know say they are much more free in prison, being able to buy things and HQ ing activities available to them.

As far as the case goes, I don't see his death bringing anyone back or for that matter protecting anyone from harm, so I see it as hard to justify.
 
dragonfly-
when I saw this online my first thought was Richard Simmons 'Dancing to the Oldies'... :)

My second thought- gas him then jab him in the carotid.

In the kill house cattle are put down with a captive bolt gun. No need for all the firing squad drama, put him down like cattle.
 
Well, the real question is when did cruel and unusual punishment standard go from meaning not being executed like William Wallace at the end of Braveheart to meaning having the lethal injections not work quite right. I'd say if it kills him it kills him. They aren't talking about killing him by taking one pound of flesh(fat) at a time like Shylock.

Here's a lethal injection that works; get a needle filled with roto-rooter and inject it into his neck arteries. I think that would do the job.
 
really?
... any attempt to execute him will result in serious physical and psychological pain to him ...
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that is supposed to avert his execution
let's go forward anyway and ask him about it later
 
Pinkie said:
None of these reasonable ideas would pass constitutional muster. Yet another reason I object to the death penalty.
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I object to the death penalty too but I don't see waiting for him to lose enough weight would be unconstitutional.

Is it really any different than waiting to be executed in general?
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well - how did he get obese to that extent anyway? If the system is supporting him in all ways - how'd they just let that happen? :roll:
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That's my question. How in the hell does somebody get fat on prison food and/or get enough of it daily to get that fat?
 
Ryanm said:
Well, the real question is when did cruel and unusual punishment standard go from meaning not being executed like William Wallace at the end of Braveheart to meaning having the lethal injections not work quite right. I'd say if it kills him it kills him. They aren't talking about killing him by taking one pound of flesh(fat) at a time like Shylock.

Here's a lethal injection that works; get a needle filled with roto-rooter and inject it into his neck arteries. I think that would do the job.
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I don't agree with the death penalty but I agree about cruel and unusual punishment.

His attorney is basically arguing that it could be inconvenient to him due to something he has full control over.
 
I'm sorry, but that was just hilarious. I mean really. Oh God...

This is one of those "only in america" things you don't see anywhere else. Don't worry, if he weighs so much, I'm sure he will die soon enough from a coronary or something.

Omg... this just cracked me up.
 
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