Court sets execution date for Struthers man who killed bar owner

COLUMBUS (AP)

The Ohio Supreme Court has set an execution date nearly five years in the future for a man who killed a bar owner in 1997.

Authorities say death row inmate Scott Group was a regular delivery man to the Downtown Bar in Youngstown when the shooting happened.

Records say Group forced owners Robert and Sandra Lozier into the bar restroom Jan. 18, 1997 and shot both in the head, then stole more than $1,200 in cash.

Sandra Lozier survived and testified against Group at trial. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court set a July 10, 2024, execution date for the 54-year-old Group.

His lawyers opposed setting an execution date, arguing he still has claims that can be argued about poor legal help at trial and early in the appeals process.