Ohio Struggles to Execute Obese Inmate

May 25, 12:01 AM

Current Headlines: An Ohio inmate was executed by lethal injection Thursday after a two-hour delay because medical officials had trouble finding a suitable vein.

Christopher Newton, sentenced to death for killing a fellow inmate, was grossly obese, the Springfield (Ohio) New-Sun said.

Joe Wilhelm, the head of the Public Defender's death penalty division, said Newton weighed almost 300 pounds.

The newspaper said Newton knew killing cellmate Jason Brewer, 27, was a capital crime and refused to cooperate with investigators unless they sought the death penalty.