By Karen Best

Romell Broom was sentenced to death for the September 14th rape and murder of 14 year old Tryna Middleton. Broom was just a needle away from being executed in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility when his vein collapsed. A prison log book blames the problem on Brooms previous drug use. The log book also indicated that the medical team took an hour to find the vein that did not work.

Broom was reportedly cooperating with the medical team because he  was ready to die. He assisted the team in trying to find other veins in his arms and legs but nothing worked. The execution had to be called off because the medical team didn’t believe the vein would be able to hold once the execution reached the point for the lethal drugs to be administered.

Governor Ted Strickland ordered Broom a one week reprieve after Broom’s lawyer faxed and e-mailed a request to the Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice. There is an Ohio law that requires executions to be quick and painless. His lawyer also stated, continuing the effort would have been a violation of Broom’s constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment.

It is possible that Broom’s execution might not occur in a week if there are legal challenges. A representative from Death Penalty Information Center believes there might be an issue of Ohio’s standards of decency to subject an individual to multiple executions. The Americans Civil Liberties Union of Ohio also interjected on behalf of Broom. Counsel from the organization stated “Ohio’s execution system is fundamentally flawed. If the state is going to take a person’s life, they must ensure that it is done as humanely as possible.”

Civil rights are different from any other rights we have as citizens of a free country. They represent basic principles of democracy and fairness, and protect our individual abilities to live life on our own terms. Because of that, whenever a person’s civil rights are violated by another — whether that person is an employer, a police officer or a government agency — the violation is deeply personal. As a firm, we have experience in all aspects of civil rights litigation, and are frequently sought out by radio, television and print media journalists to discuss these topics. For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation.