COLUMBUS: Attorneys for five condemned Ohio killers are asking a judge to let them witness upcoming executions.
The attorneys say that observing executions that come before their own clients are put to death will allow them to ensure that the procedures are being carried out constitutionally.
The attorneys said in a court filing Friday that their observations could have an impact on a continuing lawsuit over Ohio’s new three-drug lethal injection process.
The state opposes the request, saying additional witnesses aren’t included in Ohio’s current execution protocols.
The Ohio attorney general’s office has appealed Magistrate Judge Michael Merz’s ruling last week declaring the state’s new process unconstitutional and delayed three upcoming executions.