A death row inmate went through 18 failed execution trials as officials were unable to find a suitable vein and he turned out to be a victim of covid-19
Death row inmate survived execution after 18 assassination attempts
Romell Broom had spent 24 years in an Ohio prison waiting to be killed for raping, kidnapping and murdering 14-year-old Tryna-Middleton while returning home in 1984.
The execution was scheduled for Sept. 15, 2009, following a DNA test conducted in 2003 to clear the prisoner’s name after he pleaded his innocence.
As he was prepared for the lethal injection, Broom was strapped to a table and officers tried to find a suitable vein to chase him with the deadly mixture of pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride and midazolam.
According to the Mirror, Broom even tried to help by moving his arm and flexing his fingers, but each time they tried the vein would collapse.
Thereafter, Broom was sat upright and shunts were used on the legs, which caused pain, and after two hours it was decided to give up.
The next date was set for September 22 and officials tried to devise a way to kill him that would not involve torture, so it was decided to postpone the execution indefinitely.
The AMNESTY International campaign fought to save his life, and Broom wrote a book under the name of “survivors on the death line” and the state’s defiance as they tried to set a new date for his murder.
Another date was set for June 17, 2020, but the necessary drug was not available by that date, so it was rescheduled for March 16, 2022.
While Broom waited, the coronavirus pandemic set in. Death row inmates were not protected, so he was placed on the “Covid probable list” after passing away on December 28, 2020 at the age of 64.
