(Cleveland) - A man on death row in Ohio has died, but not by lethal injection. He died from COVID-19.
Romell Broom has been on death row since he was convicted for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 14-year-old Tryna Middleton of Cleveland in 1984. She was attacked as she and two friends were walking home from a football game.
Broom was to have been executed by lethal injection in 2009, but attempts to find a suitable vein failed. Records show there were 18 attempts to try to find a suitable vein in which to put the needle. Broom's execution date was rescheduled, and was to have been in 2022.
He is said to be the second death row inmates in Ohio to die from the virus, and the 17th in the nation.
Tryna Middleton's mother told cleveland.com, "All I have to say is that the Lord took care of it. My daughter isn't coming back, and he's gone. And I won't have to go to court any more or worry about the execution."
(Photo courtesy Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction)
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