Very quick article from me because it's late here in Scotland but I just saw this on Facebook and am delighted!
Ohio death row inmate Kevin Keith has been spared the death penalty by the Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland. Kevin Keith was scheduled to be executed on September 15th and we've been working hard to prevent it. His sentence has now been commuted to life without parole.
Keith has maintained his innocence since his 1994 conviction. Strickland had previously stated he found the case 'troubling', and cited an absense of full investigation, a failure to investigate other possible suspects, and an over-reliance on eyewitness testimony.
I've always thought Keith's conviction was dodgy, and now that he's not facing imminent death they can pursue his claim of innocence more carefully and, should he be found innocent, he'll probably still be breathing when it happens.
This is a tremendous victory. The board of paroles advised Strickland 8-0 not to commute the sentence, but Strickland thought the case was troubling and did what he thought was right. Not like in Texas, where an entire board can advise the governor against an execution and he'll still go through with it...
But we'll take small victories where we can get them.
Im really glad Keith has been spared the needle. After reviewing his case, I have serious doubts about his guilt and it would have been awfull to execute an innocent man by accident. This is what a governor should be like. Texas should take a leaf out of Ohio's book for sure. Mercy is a beautiful thing.
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