Ohio death row inmate who survived execution attempt dies of possible coronavirus complications

A convicted murderer and rapist who survived an attempt to execute him by lethal injection more than a decade ago died #Monday in an #Ohio prison of possible coronavirus complications, officials said.

#Romell #Broom, 64, was placed on the “COVID probable list,” though his official cause of death is pending a death certificate, the state prison system said #Tuesday.

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#Broom was sentenced to death for raping and killing 14-year-old #Tryna #Middleton after abducting her in #Cleveland in 1984 as she walked home from a football game with two friends.

#Ohio unsuccessfully tried to execute the then 53-year-old #Broom by lethal injection on #Sept. 15, 2009. #Technicians worked for two hours to find a usable vein, sticking #Broom with a needle 18 times and causing him to scream in pain before officials called off the execution.

The botched procedure made #Broom only the second death row inmate in the country to survive a modern-day execution at the time.

#Broom was returned to death row, where he and his lawyers argued unsuccessfully to spare him from a second execution attempt.

#His most recent execution date was set for #June, but in the spring, #Republican #Gov. #Mike #DeWine issued a reprieve until #March 2022.

#Ohio suspended the death penalty after #DeWine said lethal injection is no longer an option because the state is unable to find the proper drugs. #He said lawmakers would have to choose a new method.

#Department of #Rehabilitation and #Correction spokeswoman #Sara #French said 124 inmates in the state have died from confirmed or probable cases of the coronavirus.

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#One death row inmate currently has a positive COVID-19 test, and 55 death row inmates tested positive and then recovered, #French said.

The #Associated #Press contributed to this report.