Convicted murderer, Alva Campbell, who survived an attempted execution by injection just four months ago died in his cell.
The death-row inmate in Ohio had avoided his execution for 20 years. When the time finally came on Nov. 15, a vein could not be successfully tapped to administer the lethal injection and the execution was abandoned.
Campbell, 69, had been convicted of two homicides, over 20 years apart.
After serving 20 years of a life sentence for first-degree murder, he was released in 1992.
In 1997, he was arrested on armed robbery charges. Faking paralysis, he managed to escape custody, hijacking a car and taking the 18-year-year-old driver with him.
He shot and killed the 18-year-old driver and was subsequently sentenced to execution.
Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien tweeted, “Due to 20 years of frivolous post-conviction litigation, he successfully ran the clock out on justice due to the state and the victim’s family.”
Campbell’s attorney, David Stebbins, said he suffered from lung cancer, COPD, prostate cancer, and other ailments and required oxygen treatments four times a day, according to NBC.“He wanted to live but he also recognized his time was running out,” Stebbins, said in a phone interview, according to NBC.
Campbell’s ex-wife, Sharol Kelly said it was “probably better” that he died of natural causes, according to NBC, because it meant there could be no repeat of the abandoned execution.
“That was not good for anybody, not even the victim’s family,” she said.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich had set Campbell’s new execution date for June 5, 2019.
The last execution in Ohio was in September, after a three-year hiatus due to legal challenges and difficulties obtaining lethal injections, when double-murderer, Gary Otte was put to death.
