A member of the jury who recommended the death penalty for a convicted murderer in 1997 is now seeking mercy for that killer. The juror says he would’ve reached a different decision had the case been argued better.
Ross Geiger told the Ohio Parole Board he doesn’t question if Raymond Tibbetts is guilty of murdering Fred Hicks and Judith Sue Crawford. But Geiger believes he would’ve opted for life without parole had he known about Tibbetts’ abusive childhood - something he learned about after visiting an anti-death penalty website.
Members of the board noted that whether or not the defense effectively presented the information, Geiger did have the written report that detailed Tibbetts’ past.
“If I wanted to make an argument to you about any topic, I probably wouldn’t just hand you the textbook and say here’s my argument,” he said.
This additional clemency hearing comes after Gov. John Kasich delayed Tibbett’s scheduled April execution because of a letter he received from Geiger.
