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Ohio Inmate Allegedly Coached To Fake Suffocation
By: Associated Press
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An attorney for a condemned Ohio inmate who snorted and gasped during his execution was temporarily suspended last week while officials investigated whether he had coached the inmate to fake symptoms of suffocation before he died.
The Ohio Public Defender's Office says Robert Lowe, an attorney for inmate Dennis McGuire, was back at work Monday after an internal review could not confirm the allegation. The probe was first reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
State prison records released Monday say guards were told by McGuire that Lowe wanted him to "put on this big show" that would end in abolition of the death penalty.
McGuire's fitful display on the execution gurney has sparked criticism across the world and calls for a death-penalty moratorium. His family has sued alleging undue cruelty.