Too Fat To Execute? Ohio Inmate Thinks So

Man On Death Row For Killing Two Women Says Executioners Would Have Trouble Finding Veins

(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.

[ksjeff-2009]

Tough sh*t.

[amazing_g]

He isn''t too fat to hang.

[joni1972-2009]

none of theses *** think about the people they kill, just to stop what they got coming to there sorry ***.

[willcad]

Perhaps another method could be used, like Ole'' Sparky, the gas chamber, or the time-honored Short Drop and Sudden Stop method. If all else fails, I;m sure families of the man''s victims would volunteer to be members of a firing squad.

[luvny-2009]

Well you fat bast@rd you weren''t too fat to rape and murder those 2 young women! yeah hang the SOB then!

[Gary Kempf]

"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn''t work, the execution is going to be excruciating,"

I can only hope it will be....it is *** for tat.

[hawkscreech]

If he''s too fat to die by lethal injection, perhaps we need to bring back the firing squad, electric chair or hang''em high! This *** of inhumane death drives me crazy!!! They sure didn''t think or care about the death of their victims...

[xmanborg]

Throw his A$$ into the Electric Chair or Feed his Fat A$$ to the Lions at the Zoo.

[jetlizhan]

boo hoo hoo - who cares about this fat@ss? he raped and murdered 2 young women and now his whining about small veins? PULEEEEEZ

[mswolfestock]

If he is too fat, then starve him until his veins stick up like big ol'' fishing worms. Then there won''t be any trouble sticking him.

[mswolfestock]

Well, DUH!!!! If he''s too fat, then just let him starve for a couple of weeks, until his veins stand out like big ol'' fishing worms. Then have at it with the injections.

Yeah, WillCAD - let the families get their justice. They can make him squeal like the cowardly pig he is.

[haoli25]

Don''t execute him. Just give him an ''live'' autopsy and find out why he is soooooo FAT!

[mswolfestock]

Well, DUH!!!! If he''s too fat, then just let him starve for a couple of weeks, until his veins stand out like big ol'' fishing worms. Then have at it with the injections.

Yeah, WillCAD - let the families get their justice. They can make him squeal like the cowardly pig he is.

[mswolfestock]

Well, DUH!!!! If he''s too fat, then just let him starve for a couple of weeks, until his veins stand out like big ol'' fishing worms. Then have at it with the injections.

Yeah, WillCAD - let the families get their justice. They can make him squeal like the cowardly pig he is.

[mswolfestock]

Well, DUH!!!! If he''s too fat, then just let him starve for a couple of weeks, until his veins stand out like big ol'' fishing worms. Then have at it with the injections.

Yeah, WillCAD - let the families get their justice. They can make him squeal like the cowardly pig he is.

[haoli25]

Don''t execute him. Just give him an ''live'' autopsy and find out why he is soooooo FAT!

[mswolfestock]

If he is too fat, then starve him until his veins stick up like big ol'' fishing worms. Then there won''t be any trouble sticking him.

Yeah, WillCAD - just let the victims'' families have at him. Make him squeal like the cowardly pig he is.

[marshall_nee]

My heart bleeds.

[barbaraf4]

This is too good. A serious medical condition that prevents execution.

[Scooter68]

1) Doesn''t matter if he experiences a ''little'' pain on his death - This is a convicted killer whose crimes qualified him for the death penalty. An execution doesn''t have to be painless to escape the being defined as cruel as long as the death method is not designed to be painful. The redifinition of cruel and unusual punishment has become twisted over the years so as to keep our delicate sensitivities from being offended. I believe 3 states including Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho still have the firing squad as a method of execution. Nothing painless about that method. Nor is Hanging painless either but they are have not yet been rejected as legal methods of execution. Bleeding hearts - get over it!
2) In all likelihood this is a criminal who is using his ''condition'' as an attempt to escape the punishment.
Bottom line - no sympathy for this criminal or any other whose appeals and sentences have all be carried out denied and confirmed respectively.
2)

[shawnp20]

Give him a choice
1. The American way- Lethal injection
or
2. The Middle Eastern way- Beheading using a dull butter knife!

Do we really care about this guys "feelings"?

[extremophil]

".....if the first drug doesn''t work, the execution is going to be excruciating"

I say let''s risk it.

[tootall10142]

IM FREE FOR THE NEXT TEN OR TWENTY YEARS IF THESE BLEEDING HEART SOBS CANT KILL A MAN WITHOUT MALICE THEN THEY NEED TO PUT A MAN IN THER WITH VERY LITTLE OR NO REGARD FOR THESE PEOPLE.IF YOU HAVENT EVER SEEN WHAY A 7.7 OR .44 CAL CAN DO THEN YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DO.THIS MAN NEEDS KILLED AND FOR THE PRICE OF A ICE CREAM CONE I WOULD GLADLY DO THE JOB FOR THE FAMILY OF THESE VICTIMS AND REALLY DONT CARE IF I GOT PAID.

[wolfwatcher1]

Can you say diet? He is in jail for gods sake.

[mitdgreenb]

Hemp makes good, strong rope. Rope makes good nooses. Nooses work, especially on the overweight. Problem solved... and it''s a green solution. Just make sure the tree is strong enough to hold him.

(Oh, and a properly set noose breaks the neck. Nothing "excruciating" there.)

[dogsoul]

...WHY are we wasting money on this animal? So his lawyers can get rich & make a name for themselves... at OUR expense... we should really streamline this process

[rf35]

"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.

GOOD!

[aldon61]

The execution date isn''t until October, place him on a crash diet and mandate some exercise. Let him "earn" an ethical execution. If he doesn''t cooperate, execute him in any manner that is legal in Ohio. To h/e/l/l/ with whether or not he suffers; he has to pay for his crimes.

[superbird6pk]

Okay. A firing squad will do just fine. Where do I go to volunteer?

[platteman]

How about a couple of bullets. Just kill the fat slob. Let him suffer like he did his victims. He must have belleyed up to the food bar way too much in prison.

I would line him up, get a couple of snipers from the USMC and let them do their number on him.

[mediabrat60]

Utah has the firing squad, can''t they change venue for a death penalty?

[walkshe]

Maybe it SHOULD be excrutiating - I''m sure the women he killed must have felt something - he should too!

[credibility2]

This cowardly spineless human filth was probably fat when he raped and murdered his two victims. He didn''t care about them, so why should anyone else care about him. He should suffer an agonizing and hideous death. Maybe they should just electrocute him and then wouldn''t have to worry about finding the veins just so he can have a more "humane" and easier execution less painful. Either way would be too kind for him.

[squeakof2006]

So, he''s too fat?? hmmm... did they try putting him on a diet? Did they try getting longer needles or offer to strap his arm, thus cutting off circulation long enough for the vanes to stick up? I don''t feel sorry for him, let him enjoy the same type of death his victims experienced! Obviously, he found that to be acceptable. Just don''t forget a large baseball bat for his ***, and make sure it''s a dull, rusty needle!!

[minnick8-2009]

So, roll him outside, line up a firing squad, kill the SOB, roll out a fork life, move his body to an open grave and dump him in it. Game over!

[hbevis]

THIS WHOLE STORY IS CRAZY TO ME. TO H.E.L.L.WITH HIM.
WHO CARE''S IF HE HURTS A LITTLE BIT. THE TWO WOMEN PROBABLY HURT A LOT.. I CAN''T BELIEVE THE WAY SOCIETY AND THE SUPER LIBERAL PEOPLE CRY AND CARRY ON ABOUT SOMEONE BEING PUT TO DEATH. IF THERE IS NOT DOUBT THAT HE IS GUILTY THEN JUST DO IT ANYWAY THAT IS POSSIBLE.

[hotpaulie]

put a bullet in the fat *** e r s head. game over

[reel-crazy]

I wonder why they swab their arms with alcohol prior to inserting the lethal injection needle?

[jf94066]

hanging sounds like it would NOT be a problem

[maedean]

Then stick the needle in the pigs neck or what ever it takes. He didn''t think of making it easy on the ones he killed and raped.Why is he fat in prison anyway? Make a prison a dammmmm prison and quit letting the inmates run them.....

[cbsfan73]

http://nodeathpenalty.org/

[lamottjackson]

I say plug a Strawberry Shortcake I.V. in his arm & pray that the frosting oozes out of his eyes as it floods his system.

[jmwallace31]

So give him a double dose. DUH!

[reel-crazy]

http://nodeathpenalty.org/ Posted by cbsfan73

yea... like I want to join these mental giants

How easily they forget the suffering and anguish the people suffered during their murders or the aftermath of it for their families.

[jediservant]

Our judicial system is just plain Bananas. This rapist was charged in 1986 and for all these years the state has been feeding him good to fatten him up and providing the finest of medications to keep him comfortable.

Since Bananas don%u2019t have any intelligence let me tell you what to do. First put this guy on a limited bread and water diet to lean him down. Don%u2019t worry about the meds; loosing weight will take care of the head aches.

Better yet, I say if a person kills another they should be executed with the same weapon used to commit the murder.

[govwatch-2009]

I would be happy to donate the extra $2 to triple the dose.

[bikerb54]

I am so sick of these parasites on society whining! I feel no pity. They have more rights and priviledges than the citizens on the outside. 3 meals a day, a roof over their useless heads, a warm, safe place to sleep, a gym, libraries, access to free higher education! Whaaaaa.
Hang his fat ***, shoot him, whatever. He deserves no pass on paying for his crimes. I wish the people that are against the death penalty because it is inhuman would look at that word "inhuman". The beings that do these crimes are inhuman, so what better way to make them pay. They didn''t care about the people they did the crime to, so why should society care about their feelings????

Better yet, send them to Iraq or Afghanistan to fight for their freedoms. They die, didn''t cost taxpayers for their meals, living quarters, and if they live, they can stay in that country and deal with their laws if they commit the same crimes again. You can bet your *** they won''t steal, rape or kill over there because the penalties for those crimes are alot stiffer than we could dream up!!!

[thisandthat1]

Ok, NOW I''ve heard it all!

[mjvw2]

I''m sure a rifle shot will penetrate the blubber.

[timetrips1]

Oh no, the poor *** might suffer (like the people he killed suffered). Ok, fry his butt in the electric chair!