Kasich denies mercy for Ohio man who killed inmate

COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. John Kasich has rejected mercy for a killer scheduled to die next week for beating to death a fellow jail inmate in Cincinnati while he awaited sentencing for murder.

Clarence Carter’s execution is set for Tuesday. Investigators say Carter punched, choked, kicked and stomped on Johnny Allen for at least 30 minutes during a 1988 fight, stopping intermittently to wipe blood from his shoes.

Kasich today denied Carter’s request for clemency. The decision comes after last month’s unanimous vote against clemency by the Ohio Parole Board.

Carter’s lawyers argue it was not a premeditated killing, that Allen likely instigated the fight and that inmate witnesses were unreliable. They say Carter is borderline mentally disabled and had an upbringing that taught violence.