First Single Drug Execution Carried Out in Ohio

Kenneth Biros, 51, was convicted of killing 22 year old Tami Engstrom in 1991. He then also dismembered her and spread her body parts around Ohio and Pennsylvania. The execution was to take place at 10am, but officials had to wait ruling from the US Supreme Court on Biros' request for a stay. The stay was denied and the execution took place at 11am. A single dose of sodium thiopental was injected into a vein. Also, a two-drug muscle injection was kept as a backup. The one-drug method has previously been used only to euthanize animals. A comparatively lower dosage of sodium thiopental is the first ingredient used in the three-drug method that is commonly used until now. Kenneth Biros died within 10 minutes, but was officially declared dead only at 11:47am.

The night before, around 8pm, is when he had his last meal. It consisted of pizza with extra cheese, mushrooms, onions and green peppers, along with onion rings, deep-fried mushrooms, Doritos, French onion dip, blueberry ice cream, Dr Pepper and cherry pie. Biros' last words before the execution were, "Sorry from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank all of my family and friends for my prayers and who supported and believed in me. My father, now I'm being paroled to heaven. I will now spend all of my holidays with my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Peace be with you all. Amen."

Those opposing capital punishment argue that sodium thiopental, which renders the prisoner unconscious, can possibly wear off too quickly, and that the convict would actually be awake and feel the pain as the procedure goes on. Biros was earlier scheduled to be executed in 2007, but managed to get a stay on the grounds of a challenge to the three-drug method. Through his attorney Timothy Sweeney, he also challenged this new one-drug execution method. The board reviewing his clemency voted 7 - 0 to deny Biros any further stay.

Ohio has executed 32 individuals in the past 10 years, and is one of the 34 states in the United States that allows the death penalty.