User:Unionhawk/Sandbox/Brooks

Reginald Brooks (March 20, 1945-November 15, 2011) was executed by the State of Ohio on November 15, 2011 for the murder of his three sons in 1982, ending a six month hiatus in the use of capital punishment in Ohio. Brooks is the oldest person to be put to death since Ohio resumed executions in 1999.

Crime
Brooks shot his three sons in their sleep on March 6, 1982, shortly after his wife filed for divorce. He left the state, but was arrested in Beaver, Utah on March 8, 1982. He was indicted on three counts of aggrivated murder in 1982, and convicted on all three counts in 1983.

The defense argued that Brooks was a paranoid schizophrenic, and suffered from the illness long before he shot his sons. The defense appealed, arguing that there was not enough information about his mental illness at the time of the trial. The Ohio Supreme court denied Brooks' appeal on November 15, 2011.

Execution
Brooks died by lethal injection at 2:04 p.m. When asked if he had any last words, he said "no." When the injection started, Brooks stuck out his middle finger.

Brooks was the fourth inmate to be executed using pentobarbital as a stand-alone drug, rather than the normal three-drug combination.

Notable capital punishment opponent Sister Helen Prejean went with a group of students from Moeller High School to the Lucasville prison to hold a vigil for Brooks and the victims.