Brown arrives at Death House; no decision on clemency

COLUMBUS — Mark Aaron Brown arrived at the Death House at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Wednesday morning, a day before his scheduled execution by lethal injection.

Brown arrived at the prison just before 10 a.m., said Julie Walburn, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He will spend much of the day in a cell at the Death House, will be offered a “special” meal with requested entrees and have contact visits with family and friends this evening. His execution is set for Thursday at 10 a.m.

Brown was convicted in the 1994 shooting deaths of Isam Salman and Hayder Al-Turk at the Midway Market in January 1994.

Brown has continued to say he does not remember killing Salman, whose murder prompted the death sentence. He admitted shooting Al-Turk and was sentenced to life in prison.

Gov. Ted Strickland has not yet issued his decision on clemency in the case.

“I don’t set artificial deadlines for myself when it comes to these matters,” he told Statehouse reporters Tuesday. “I have spent some hours over the weekend reviewing the case. And I will be talking further with my staff and legal counsel about it before I make the final determination.”