Board rejects mercy for condemned Ohio killer

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio Parole Board has declined to recommend mercy for a condemned inmate sentenced to die next month for stabbing an Akron woman more than 100 times, then cutting off her hands.

The 9-0 decision by the parole board today is the third time clemency has been rejected for Brett Hartman, who has had two previous execution dates postponed.

The board, as it has twice before, cited the brutality of the Sept. 9, 1997, slaying of 46-year-old Winda Snipes and the “overwhelming evidence” of Hartman’s guilt.

The 38-year-old Hartman came within about a week of execution in 2009 before federal courts allowed him to pursue an innocence claim.

Another execution date last year was postponed because of a federal lawsuit over Ohio’s execution policy.