Ohio Gov. DeWine calls for abolishing death penalty

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called on the state legislature to abolish the death penalty or allow voters to decide the matter during a news conference Tuesday in Columbus.

DeWine, a Republican whose second term ends in 2027, said he no longer believes capital punishment serves as a deterrent to murder. "For the state to take a human life, there must be evidence that in doing so it will help protect the public, that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder," he told reporters. "I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made."

The governor acknowledged a shift in his position. As a young prosecutor and elected official, DeWine said he once believed capital punishment could deter crime. "I no longer believe the death penalty is a deterrent to murder," he stated Tuesday. "Even if the murderer is caught, indicted, convicted and sentenced to death, the odds are" against execution occurring, he added, without completing the sentence in available accounts.

DeWine has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions since taking office in 2019, citing difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Ohio last carried out an execution in 2018. The governor's public opposition to capital punishment represents a reversal from his earlier role in reviving the death penalty in the state.

The governor did not specify a timeline for legislative action or a potential voter referendum on the issue. His call comes as he enters the final phase of his governorship, with his term set to conclude in 2027.