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U.S. | 'I comfort death row inmates in their final moments - the execution room is like a house of horrors'

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Reverend Jeff Hood, 40, wants to help condemned inmates 'feel human again' and vows to continue his efforts to befriend murderers in spite of death threats against his family A reverend who has made it his mission to comfort death row inmates in their final days has revealed the '"moral torture" his endeavor entails. Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, 40, lives with his wife and five children in Little Rock, Arkansas. But away from his normal home life, he can suddenly find himself holding the shoulder of a murderer inside an execution chamber, moments away from the end of their life. 

Ohio: Clemency recommended for Death Row inmate Arthur Tyler

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The Ohio Parole Board recommended to Gov. John Kasich today that convicted killer Arthur Tyler’s death sentence should be commuted to time served, making him immediately eligible for release from prison.

The entire panel voted 11-0 to grant clemency to Tyler, 54, of Cleveland, who is scheduled to be executed on May 28.

However, by 6-5 vote, the majority specified that Tyler should have “immediate parole eligibility.” The other five members said instead he should be parole eligible in two years.

The board said in a recommendation submitted this afternoon to Kasich — who will make the final decision on clemency — that “doubt exists as to whether Tyler is the principal offender in this case.” In addition, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor “now recommends mercy,” the board said.

“Given the doubt that surrounds the evidence, commutation to life without the possibility of parole would not serve the interests of justice in this case. Granting Tyler immediate parole eligibility would allow the board to immediately evaluate his institutional conduct and to consider other release suitability factors.”


Source: The Columbus Dispatch, April 29, 2014
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