Getsy awaits decision

The governor has commuted death sentences in the past on the recommendation of the parole board.

By Marc Kovac

COLUMBUS — Gov. Ted Strickland has not yet come to a decision on whether to grant clemency to Jason Getsy, who killed a Hubbard woman in a murder-for-hire scheme more than a decade ago.

“I have yet to sit down with my legal staff as completely as I need to and certainly will before making a decision,” the governor told Statehouse reporters Thursday.

Strickland also said he has not yet had a chance to personally review petitions submitted by family members and others who support Getsy’s scheduled execution Aug. 18.

Getsy, now 33, was convicted in the 1995 murder of Ann R. Serafino and the attempted murder of her son, Charles Serafino.

According to court documents, Getsy and two other men were hired to kill Charles Serafino by another individual over a business disagreement. Charles Serafino survived the attack.

The state parole board, on a 5-2 vote, recommended clemency in the case, noting that Getsy was the only one of four co-defendants who received the death penalty.

Strickland has commuted death sentences in the past on the recommendation of the parole board, most recently in the case of Jeffrey Hill, who was scheduled for execution March 3.

In an interview conducted by the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association earlier this week, Getsy said he is at peace with whatever decision the governor makes.

“I pray that like whatever [Strickland] decides … I pray that he’s well with it ... that he’s comforted and strengthened and I just... put it in the hands of the Lord,” Getsy said. “And I believe that if the Lord touches him to grant me clemency, then that is what’s going to happen.”