Fallsnewspress.com - Reynolds gets seven-day reprieve

Gov. Ted Strickland issued a seven-day reprieve to convicted murderer Lawrence Reynolds, postponing his scheduled execution for one week while he recuperates from a suspected suicide attempt late Sunday night.
State prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn confirmed the reprieve, with a new execution date set for March 16 at 10 a.m. Strickland also has denied clemency in the case.
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."
Reynolds was to be transported to the Death House at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility early Monday morning. But he was found unconscious in his cell at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and was transported by ambulance to the St. Elizabeth Health Center, Walburn said.
He was in serious condition and 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."
Prison officials suspect Reynolds attempted to overdose.Walburn declined to comment on medications he had access to and said an investigation into the matter was continuing.
Reynolds has been cited three times since entering death row on drug-related issues, according to informationsubmitted 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 what appears to be an attempted overdose hours before he was to be transported to the site of his scheduled execution.
Denise Turchiano, an Orrville woman who was scheduled to witness Reynolds' execution Tuesday, reacted in anger and disbelief at the news of Reynolds’ suicide attempt.
"Who gave him this, and why was he not being watched," she said. "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 prior to 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, Reynolds conned his way into the home 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.