Federal judge halts executions in Ohio to mid-August

A U.S. federal judge has ordered a halt on executions in Ohio until the middle of August, giving attorneys for condemned inmates time to prepare legal challenges to the state's plan to increase the dosages of drugs used when administering lethal injections. U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost's moratorium entered on Tuesday follows a lengthy Ohio execution in January that used a never before tested combination of two drugs which the state now plans to use in increased dosages. The halt in Ohio also follows a botched execution in Oklahoma that brought renewed scrutiny to lethal injection, the preferred method of execution in the United States. In April, convicted killer Clayton Lockett writhed in pain and a needle became dislodged during his lethal injection at a state prison in Oklahoma.



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