Christopher Newton (criminal)
Encyclopedia
Christopher J. Newton was an American criminal whose 2007 execution by the state of Ohio
motivated additional discussion about executions by lethal injection
.
Christopher Newton received the death penalty for the 2001 aggravated murder of his cellmate, Jason Brewer. At the time of the murder, Newton was imprisoned for attempted aggravated burglary
of his father's home. Newton claimed that the burglary was committed only in attempt to return to prison. After two years, he decided that he was ready to die in prison and knew that murdering another inmate would warrant the death penalty. Newton claimed that the motivation for the murder was that he was frustrated by his cellmate's poor chess
playing skills and thus chose to beat, strangle, and taste the blood of 27 year old Brewer.
The court denied Newton's defense funds for neuropsychiatric tests that could have proven severe mental disability. The Constitution of the State of Ohio specifically states that it is cruel and inhumane to execute someone with a severe mental disability.
The controversy surrounding Newton's execution was primarily attributed to the many problems associated with the administration of the injection. In particular, because he weighed 265 pounds, Newton's veins were very difficult to find. It took over two hours and 10 attempts before the execution was completed. It took so long that Newton was given a bathroom break. On average, it should take 20 minutes for a successful execution. The problems with Newton's execution occurred less than one year after the 90 minute execution of fellow Ohio inmate, Joseph Lewis Clark
.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
motivated additional discussion about executions by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
.
Christopher Newton received the death penalty for the 2001 aggravated murder of his cellmate, Jason Brewer. At the time of the murder, Newton was imprisoned for attempted aggravated burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
of his father's home. Newton claimed that the burglary was committed only in attempt to return to prison. After two years, he decided that he was ready to die in prison and knew that murdering another inmate would warrant the death penalty. Newton claimed that the motivation for the murder was that he was frustrated by his cellmate's poor chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
playing skills and thus chose to beat, strangle, and taste the blood of 27 year old Brewer.
The court denied Newton's defense funds for neuropsychiatric tests that could have proven severe mental disability. The Constitution of the State of Ohio specifically states that it is cruel and inhumane to execute someone with a severe mental disability.
The controversy surrounding Newton's execution was primarily attributed to the many problems associated with the administration of the injection. In particular, because he weighed 265 pounds, Newton's veins were very difficult to find. It took over two hours and 10 attempts before the execution was completed. It took so long that Newton was given a bathroom break. On average, it should take 20 minutes for a successful execution. The problems with Newton's execution occurred less than one year after the 90 minute execution of fellow Ohio inmate, Joseph Lewis Clark
Joseph Lewis Clark
Joseph Lewis Clark, , was executed by the State of Ohio. He was the 21st person executed by Ohio since the state resumed executions in 1999...
.