At 480 Pounds, Inmate Says He Is Too Fat for Lethal Injection
An Ohio inmate who weighs 480 pounds says he should not be subjected to lethal injection because his death could be “torturous and lingering.”
Ronald Post is scheduled to die in January for killing a hotel clerk in 1983, the Associated Press reports. He says in court documents filed Friday that it is difficult for medical personnel to insert IVs into his arms, and the execution gurney might not support his weight.
Post has requested gastric bypass surgery, but it was turned down, according to the court filing. Exercise is difficult; an exercise bike broke under Post’s weight, and he is discouraged from walking because he is at risk for falls.
Another inmate who claimed he was too obese for execution, Richard Cooey, failed in his appeals. The 267-pound convicted murderer was executed in 2008.
