Gary Otte
Gary Otte was 45 when he was executed by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville on the morning of September 13, 2017. In his last hours he visited with his parents, talked with friends and family, and prayed with his parents, and in his final statement he said he loved his family, sang a religious song and asked forgiveness of those responsible for his death. The Ohio prison system recorded his time of death as 10:54 a.m., and media witnesses said they saw no apparent problems during the procedure. His attorneys argued that the sedative midazolam might not keep prisoners unconscious enough to avoid serious pain, and his appeals also argued he should have been spared because he was under 21 at the time of the offense. An anti-death-penalty advocate said he had a low IQ and psychological problems, and the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts declined to halt the execution.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His appeals argued that the sedative midazolam was unconstitutional and that he should have been spared because he was under 21 at the time of the offense.
Reported by: Ohio prison system (the agency that held him); media witnesses.