Romell Broom passed away on December 28, 2020, while on Ohio’s death row. Officials believe his death was related to COVID-19. He was 64 years old and had been waiting for his execution for over 30 years. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction stated that his passing was likely due to the virus, though they awaited the final death certificate to confirm the cause.
### Background of the Crime
In 1985, Broom was found guilty of kidnapping, raping, and killing 14-year-old Tryna Middleton in East Cleveland, according to Death Penalty Information. The crime occurred on September 21, 1984, when Broom grabbed Middleton and forced her into his car while holding a knife. Her body was discovered just hours later.
Police apprehended Broom three months later when he attempted to kidnap an 11-year-old girl named Melinda Grissom. Her mother intervened, and bystanders recorded his car’s license plate number, leading to his arrest.
### The Botched Execution Attempt
Ohio first tried to execute Broom on September 15, 2009. However, the prison team spent over two hours struggling to insert an IV needle into his veins. Court documents reveal that the team repeatedly pulled out and reinserted the needle at various angles trying to find a suitable vein. On one occasion, they missed the vein entirely and hit his bone.
When they finally managed to insert the needle, it stopped functioning when saline was pushed through. This painful process caused Broom to start crying. Ultimately, the governor halted the execution and granted Broom an additional week to live.
### Legal Controversy Over a Second Execution Attempt
Broom argued that the state should not be allowed to attempt executing him a second time. He claimed that doing so would be cruel and violate the legal principle that forbids punishing someone twice for the same crime.
In March 2016, Ohio’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the state could proceed with another execution attempt. Judge Judith Lanzinger reasoned that inserting the IV was merely preparatory and that the real execution begins only when the lethal drug is administered through the IV. Since that never happened in Broom’s case, the court permitted another attempt.
However, not all judges agreed with this ruling. Judge William O’Neill stated, “Any fair reading of the record of the first execution attempt shows that Broom was actually tortured the first time. Now we embark on the task of doing it again.” Judge Judith French also dissented, writing, “If the state cannot explain why the Broom execution went wrong, then the state cannot guarantee that the outcome will be different next time.”
### Appeals and Execution Date Changes
Broom sought to appeal his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but in December 2016, the court declined to hear it. Ohio then scheduled a new execution date for June 17, 2020.
In April 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine postponed the execution because the state was unable to obtain the drugs needed for lethal injection. The execution was rescheduled for March 16, 2022.
### Broom’s Death and Reflections
Romell Broom died from COVID-19 before the rescheduled execution date. His lawyers, Timothy Sweeney and Adele Shank, said that Broom lived the remainder of his life “with the ever-increasing fear and distress that the same process would be used on him at his next execution date.” They added, “Let his passing in this way, and not in the execution chamber, be the final word on whether a second attempt should ever have been considered.”
Broom’s case remains a stark reminder of the complexities and controversies surrounding the death penalty process in the United States.
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