Gov. John R. Kasich announced Wednesday that he has commuted the death sentence of Arthur Tyler to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The decision comes just one day after the Ohio Parole Board recommended that Tyler, the next death-row inmate scheduled for execution in Ohio, should be granted mercy because of questions surrounding his murder conviction in the 1980s.
Tyler was convicted in Cuyahoga County in 1986 for the murder of 74-year-old Sander Leach, a produce vendor. His execution had been scheduled for May 28.
“After carefully reviewing the case record with my legal counsel and studying the recommendations of the Parole Board, I’ve decided to commute Arthur Tyler’s sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole,” Kasich said in announcing his decision.
“The questions that continue around this case are fundamental and the irregularities in the court proceedings are troubling,” Kasich said. “Arthur Tyler’s crime against Sander Leach and his family was heinous and this commutation in no way diminishes that and I pray that Mr. Leach’s family can find peace and healing.”
Tyler’s case was controversial because he was one of two people convicted in the killing of Leach, but the only one sentenced to die.
And there are questions as to who actually pulled the trigger.
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