Skip navigation

Courts: Obese inmate can get lethal injection

Federal, Ohio rulings say Richard Cooey's execution can go ahead

updated 8:41 p.m. ET Oct. 9, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal appeals court and Ohio's high court have rejected a death row inmate's argument that he is too fat to die by lethal injection.

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati and the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Richard Cooey's execution could go ahead as planned.

The 41-year-old Cooey is set to be executed Tuesday for killing two University of Akron students in 1986.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Cooey's attorneys argued that prison food and limited opportunities to exercise contributed to a weight problem that would make it difficult for the execution team to find a viable vein for lethal injection.

Cooey is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 267 pounds.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored LinksGet listed here
Online College Courses
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com

Sponsored links

Resource guide