Too Fat To Execute? Ohio Inmate Thinks So

(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.

[cbsfan73]

To: libsluv2spit
Don''t worry libsluv2spit, I seriously doubt that you would shoot your own son. I was just trying to make you see the light.

You talk a big game about volunteering to be an executioner, but until you are ready to pull the trigger, you have no idea what you are talking about.

If indeed you were so black hearted, you would belong in prison for life too.

[cbsfan73]

libsluv2spit asked:
"do you lock your front door"?

Answer this question to get your answer:
Is Richard Cooey locked away from society?

[chimpyout]

OK, we''ll use the guillotine. That''ll take care of the headache too!

[libsluv2spit]

cbsfan73...you seem to have so much faith on humanity...question: "do you lock your front door"?

[cbsfan73]

libsluv2spit on the death penalty:

The death penalty works best and should always be carried out immediately after sentencing in order to save taxpayer dollars. I would gladly kill my own son if he were sentenced to death by a court of law. I would call him scum and trash just before I shot him and would enjoy the sweet feeling of revenge. If Jesus were watching, I would just grin at him and turn to fire.

[libsluv2spit]

Question: How does one redeem their self once they are dead?

Posted by cbsfan73 at 07:55 PM : Aug 06, 2008
+ report abuse

************

by ending that part where he is a waste of very limited resources..

[libsluv2spit]

You still can''''t see that a life sentence is cheaper than execution?

P.S. I sleep fine - I''''m not the one wanting to kill.

Posted by cbsfan73 at 07:24 PM : Aug 06, 2008
+ report abuse

*******read the article******

this is no longer a question of "should we execute or should we keep for life" ..it is now the matter of performing the final phase of the process..which is executing this piece of grabage..injecting this piece of *** WILL SAVE US MONEY..that LISTEN TO YOUR DUMB ARSE..FEEL SORRY FOR THIS CHILD RAPIST/MURDERER and keep on paying for his keep..THIS IS NO LONGER ABOUT REVENGE OR WHATEVER BENEVOLENT CRA P YOU ARE HARPING ABOUT

[bhappy2-2]

So he is too fat to find a vein for the lethal injection. Big deal. Shoot him, or hang him, or electrocute him, or gas him. His weight does not excuse his crime or the punishment thereof.

[cbsfan73]

Death Penalty 101:

http://www.aclu.org/capital/facts/10602res20070409.html

[cbsfan73]

wizard-13 stated:
"They have to redeem themselves to get back their civil rights."

Contrary to what many would like, prisoners do have civil rights. They lose liberty - not rights.

Question: How does one redeem their self once they are dead?