Suspected overdose delays killer’s execution

By MARC KOVAC

news@vindy.com

COLUMBUS — Death-row inmate Lawrence Reynolds will return to prison after a suspected drug overdose that sent him to the hospital and delayed his execution by a week.

And he could be placed on a suicide watch if necessary, restricting his activities and access to personal belongings during the next seven days.

The state’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction was not categorizing Reynolds’ suspected drug overdose as a suicide attempt — that’s a clinical determination that would have to be made by mental-health staff, said spokeswoman Julie Walburn.

But prison officials do believe Reynolds attempted to injure himself by consuming an undetermined substance that left him unconscious and in serious condition late Sunday.

Reynolds was to be transported to the Death House at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville early Monday morning.

But he was found unconscious in his cell at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and was transported by ambulance to St. Elizabeth Health Center, Walburn said. He remained unconscious during the morning but had stabilized after midday.

“His medical condition has been upgraded,” Walburn said. “He is now in stable condition and is showing signs of consciousness.”

Gov. Ted Strickland denied clemency for Reynolds Monday but did issue a seven-day reprieve, postponing his scheduled execution for a week. According to a statement from the governor’s office, “Mr. Reynolds’ current medical condition has made it impossible to proceed with the scheduled execution tomorrow.”

Prison officials said they suspect Reynolds attempted to overdose on drugs. Walburn declined comment on medications to which he had access and said an investigation was continuing.

“We aren’t ready to speak to what the drug was until we hear back on medical reports,” she said.

As of late Monday, plans were to return Reynolds to the Ohio State Penitentiary, though he could be transferred to a different prison if necessary. Twenty-eight of the 162 Ohioans on death row are classified as seriously mentally ill and are imprisoned at the Mansfield Correctional Institution.

Reynolds has been cited three times since entering death row on substance-related issues, according to information submitted to the state parole board. In January 1996 and June 2002, Reynolds was caught with “hooch,” or homemade alcohol. In November 1997, he received a box of instant soup packets with marijuana hidden inside.

The niece of Reynolds’ murder victim wants answers from state prisons officials on how the Death Row inmate obtained whatever he used in Sunday night’s overdose.

Denise Turchiano, an Orrville woman who was scheduled to witness Reynolds’ execution today, reacted in anger and disbelief at the news of Reynolds’ suspected suicide attempt.

“Who gave him this, and why was he not being watched?” she asked. “I want answers. ... Somebody better answer how in the hell this is happening in the system.”

Death-row inmates scheduled for execution are placed under constant surveillance 72 hours before their lethal injections. Guards are placed outside cell doors, and regular checks are conducted, Walburn said.

“We are doing an investigation to determine whether everything was done in accordance with policy,” she said.

In January 1994, Rey- nolds conned his way into the Cuyahoga Falls home of Loretta Mae Foster, a 67-year-old neighbor. He beat her with a tent pole, tied her up with a telephone cord and strangled her to death.

Reynolds took about $40 in cash and a blank check belonging to the victim; Foster’s nude body was later found on the floor of her house, after Reynolds bragged to friends about the killing. He was convicted for murder, kidnapping, burglary and attempted rape and sentenced to death.

Turchiano; Kelly Redfern, a Kent resident and the victim’s great-niece; and Patricia Soloman, the victim’s granddaughter, are scheduled to witness the execution next week. They were ready to make the trip to Lucasville on Monday.