500-Pound Inmate Says He's Too Overweight to Execute

Unless he's given time to shed some pounds, his execution could be a cruel and unusual one

An overweight death-row inmate is hoping to avoid a last meal, or at least postpone it, on the grounds that his excessive weight could lead to an especially grueling execution.

53-year-old Ronald Post, convicted of murdering a hotel clerk nearly 30 years ago, is citing the Constitution's restriction on cruel and unusual punishment to request a new execution date. Coming in at almost 500 pounds, the execution gurney may fail to support Post, claims his lawyer, a problem added to by the possibility that the IVs necessary for the execution to proceed could initially fail to reach his veins. This renders the attempt to put Post to death a possibly "torturous and lingering" one, reports Ashby Jones at the The Wall Street Journal's law blog.

Jones writes, however, that the odds of Post being given a new execution date beyond the one currently scheduled for January 2013 aren't in his favor: "Lo and behold, courts have actually wrestled with this issue in the past and the precedent isn't that good for Mr. Post."

Via The Wall Street Journal.

Should Post be given time to lose some weight before Ohio executes him?

[Gilbert]

Post could be given time to lose some weight before executing the ?

[Lasvegas711]

Must be eating good, behind bars.

Take a life, and now wants mercy....typical democrat,

[LoveHasNo82]

I really don't think that party the person is with really is a fact in this case. There have been many lawsuits like this that have happened before they are to be executed. I feel that this is no reason to grant a stay as he took someone's life. The party that he was able to vote for before going to jail has nothing to do with this as he would never be able to vote again anyway.

[americankid23]

That really doesn't make sense.

[Asher]

Agreed!! Somehow he is the victim? Just like the democrats!!!

[Denizen_Kate]

You're using this story to vilify democrats? I think I heard a scape - was that the bottom of your hate barrel?

[Patriot-Pirate]

Yup, not too many tough on crime Republicans in prison.

[Ghost]

NO. who cares in the long run the outcome will be the same. How long has he been in jail and how did he get so fat anyway. I look at it as wasting tax payer Money. One down and lots more to go. If he killed some he deserves the same thing, An eye for an eye.

[DARSB]

Technically speaking, the obesity won't impede the IV access and adjusting the drug dosing is simple since his weight is known.

[Fishbone345]

Stole the words out of my mouth.

[MarkJM]

No he shouldn't. Sorry dude, you took a life, were convicted and sentenced to death. That lethal injection has been found constitutional and regardless of weight, you won't go through the cruel and unusual punishment that you instilled upon your victims. I say speed up the date and off this scumbag. Another dredge of society....

[Thunderchicken]

How is this news?

[Patriot-Pirate]

Because it's been done before, I don't want Justice delayed or a family to miss their chance at some sense of closure. What if one of your family members was lost in these tragedies? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11225694/ns/us_ne...

[VCP]

Take him to the stock yards and get a sledge.

[crusader]

I could argue that saying you are going to die on a certain day is cruel and unusual. Knowing your date of death would be a horrible countdown and wait game. His lawyer is just trying to make this a landmark case just to make a name for himself. He knows this cruel and unusual argument is BS but is using the man to try to further his own career.

[Lasvegas711]

In Russia, they keep the final date, secret.

Inmate goes to routine medical, he never knows, if that's his walk to the death chamber. Nice...

[Lasvegas711]

Dead man, walking....fat dead man walking....

[marine1]

can always back the injection up with a 45/70, move on dot morgue.

[Buzzfriendly]

And liberals try to convince us that being overweight shortens our lives. Go figure.

[Fishbone345]

Liberals aren't the ones trying to convince here. That would be doctors. Being overweight does decrease life expectancy, that's fact. This isn't a Bigfoot case.

[Buzzfriendly]

@Fishbone345 Really? I must be the only one that has seen Michele Obama eating healthy campaigns. Sure it raises the risk, just a smoking raises your risk, but risk and reality are two different things. My 5'7, 210lbs, smoking grandfather died at 104, by falling off a ladder and getting fluid on the lungs. I guess you could say he would have lived to 110 had he been thinner and not a smoker but you and I would only be guessing.

[AceLuby]

@Buzzfriendly Smoking accounts for 400,000 deaths per year. Not everybody dies from a gunshot to the head, but you wouldn't try to convince anyone that shooting yourself in the head won't shorten your life.

[Buzzfriendly]

@AceLuby Silly analogy. People aren't hooked on shooting themselves in the head.

[AceLuby]

@Buzzfriendly Oh.. did it go too far over your head? Action 1 causes death yet you defend it because some people survive. I give you action 2 that causes death and show how defending the action because some people survive is stupid. It's your argument that's weak, not the analogy.

[americankid23]

This is kinda funny to me, because he's so over weight that if you tried to kill him he wouldn't die...uhh...i guess you give him time to lose weight

[mimi57]

If that sounds cruel to you, just remember, he did not give the person he killed another second...

[americankid23]

@mimi57 i actually agree i was thinking electric chair but i dont think they do that anymore

[Kellso]

Did he allow the victom 'time' to get ready to die? Nupe! They need to bring back 'Ole Sparkey' and USE IT!

[bsking]

just put his big ass on a treadmill the guy will be dead in 1 minute

[Keyjo]

That's funny.

[FollowTheMoney]

@Keyjo Yep, I don't care who you are.....that is funny!

[jamie91]

He's had 30 years to lose the weight.

[Jackie312gm]

Bullets are cheaper and More effective .

[mimi57]

Ohio needs to quit over feeding death row inmates.