The death penalty is back in the national spotlight this week, and Ohio’s own dormant system is part of the conversation. The botched execution attempt of Christa Pike in Tennessee on Oct. 1 has renewed scrutiny of capital punishment across the country, including in Ohio, where executions have been on hold for years.
Ohio still has the death penalty on the books, but it operates under a de facto moratorium ordered by Gov. Mike DeWine. The state’s most recent execution was July 18, 2018, when Robert Van Hook was put to death for the 1985 killing of David Self. DeWine has long cited the state’s inability to obtain lethal injection drugs — and on June 16, 2026, he called for ending the death penalty altogether, reversing his prior support.
According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s July 2026 fact sheet, 105 people sit on Ohio’s death row, including 10 sentenced in Hamilton County. The state has carried out 56 executions since February 1999.
In Tennessee, Pike’s attorney said she remained alive in critical condition at an undisclosed hospital as of late Oct. 1, and the governor has stayed the execution pending a third-party investigation. Pike’s lawyer is urging commutation of her sentence.
