Christopher Newton (criminal)
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Christopher J. Newton (November 13, 1969 – May 24, 2007) was an American murderer executed in the state of
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
in 2007. Christopher Newton received the death penalty for the 2001
aggravated murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
of his cellmate, Jason Brewer. At the time of the murder, Newton was imprisoned for attempted aggravated
burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
of his father's home, an offense he committed a few weeks after his release from prison for a prior attempted aggravated burglary. Newton killed Brewer in their cell by stomping on his neck and head and strangling him with a strip of cloth. According to the opinion of the
Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
affirming the death penalty, Newton laughed while responding officials tried to resuscitate Brewer, having smeared Brewer's blood on his face and drunk some of it (stating, "if he is not dead, I hope he is going to be a vegetable"). Newton admitted that another inmate had hired him to assault Brewer, and that he was ready to die in prison and knew that murdering another inmate would warrant a death sentence. According to the Ohio Supreme Court, numerous psychiatrists and psychologists had examined Newton over the years, resulting in various diagnoses. At the capital trial, a defense psychologist testified that Newton had several mental health disorders, including "mood disorder" and symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
(PTSD). In response, a government psychiatrist reviewed the mental health history and rebutted the defense expert. The court denied defense funds for neuropsychiatric tests to explore other types of mental disability. The trial was before a three-court panel of judges who, after hearing the evidence, imposed the death penalty. A controversy arose regarding the delay in Newton's execution, as at the time , which made administration of the injections difficult. It took over two hours and 10 attempts before the execution was completed. The problems with Newton's execution occurred just over one year after the 90 minute execution of fellow Ohio inmate, Joseph Lewis Clark.


See also

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Capital punishment in Ohio Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Ohio, although all executions have been suspended indefinitely by Governor Mike DeWine until a replacement for lethal injection is chosen by the Ohio General Assembly. The last execution ...
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Capital punishment in the United States In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 s ...
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List of people executed in Ohio The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Ohio since 1999. All of the following people have been executed for murder since the '' Gregg v. Georgia'' decision. All 56 were executed by lethal injection. However, any future exec ...
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List of people executed in the United States in 2007 This is a list of people executed in the United States in 2007. Forty-two people were executed in the United States in 2007. Twenty-six of them were in the state of Texas. One ( Daryl Keith Holton) was executed via electrocution. Holton, who waived ...


References


General references

*http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/05/24/front/289501.txt *https://web.archive.org/web/20070927174320/http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/Communications_Office/summaries/2006/0125/030565.asp *http://ohiodeathpenaltyinfo.typepad.com/ohio_death_penalty_inform/files/NewtonOSCTbrief.doc
Death Penalty Appeal - Detail
''Attorney General - State of Ohio''. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.

''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Christopher 1969 births 2007 deaths American people executed for murder Executed people from Ohio People from Ashland County, Ohio 21st-century executions by Ohio People convicted of murder by Ohio 21st-century executions of American people People executed by Ohio by lethal injection Volunteer execution