Doctor says 400lb death row inmate is 'too fat' to receive lethal injection in his veins



Ronald Post worried his weight will mean he suffers severe pain during procedure

Shot Helen Vantz dead in 1983

Marked for death: Ronald Post, 53, claims there are no accessible veins in his arms, hands or legs because he is so obese

A 400lb death row killer is 'too fat' to receive a lethal injection, his doctor said in a court filing.



Ronald Post, who is scheduled to die in January , does not have accessible veins in his arms, hands or legs because he is so obese, the doctor said.

Post, 53, now wants a federal judge to stop his execution on the grounds his weight could cause him to suffer severe pain during the procedure.



It is 'highly unlikely' that an IV could be placed in Post's legs and 'extremely unlikely' that veins could be found in his hands, Ohio State medical center anesthesiologist Sergio Bergese said in affidavit filed on Thursday.

Post also has scars on his left and right forearms from a suicide attempt that make his veins inaccessible for an IV, Bergese added.

The killer said his depression and scar tissue would also make it difficult for his executioners to administer a lethal injection.

Post weighs more than 400lbs (28.5 stone), his doctor said, adding the killer had given blood in the past but had found it extremely difficult.

Providing blood samples was no guarantee an IV could be inserted into Post's vein, the doctor added.

Post was sentenced to death for shooting dead Helen Vantz in 1983 . Vantz's son, Bill, has called Post's arguments 'laughable'.



Fears: Post is worried executioners at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility will not be able to find a vein because of his weight

Arguments: Richard Cooey, who weighed 267lbs at the time of his execution in 2008, argued his own case of being too big to die while holding prison food and limited opportunities to exercise responsible

Escaped death: In 1994 Mitchell Rupe, who weighed 400lbs while sentenced to death, had his sentence changed to life in prison after found too heavy to hang without risking decapitation

IS RONALD POST REALLY TOO FAT TO DIE? The lethal injection, invented in 1977, is designed to kill a patient quickly and painlessly.

The cocktail of drugs used varies from state to state, but generally it contains a barbiturate that induces a deep sleep; a paralysing agent that halts breathing; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.

However, dosages vary by state, not by inmate; people are given the same dosage regardless of their size. As a result the lethal injection is not necessarily quick or painless, a 2007 study published in PLoS Medicine found. If any of the doses in the injection are off the patient feels pain but also may suffer a slow death by asphyxiation, according to the study.

Molecular biologist Teresa Zimmers of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told the Scientific American at the time: 'This idea that this is a painless procedure is completely wrong. It's just invisible because the person is paralysed.'

Post's attorneys also want more time to pursue arguments that claims of a full confession by the inmate to several people have been falsely exaggerated.



Post has tried losing weight, but knee and back problems have made it difficult to exercise, according to the court filing.

Post's request for gastric bypass surgery has been denied, he has been encouraged not to walk because he's at risk for falling, and severe depression has contributed to his inability to limit how much he eats, his filing said.

The state currently opposes Post's request.



Before his execution in 2008, 266lb (19-stone) death row inmate Richard Cooey also claimed Ohio authorities would have trouble finding a vein in his flab.



In a lawsuit, Cooey argued that he would suffer a painful death by lethal injection because of his size.



However, his execution passed without any recorded incident.

In 1994 in Washington state, a federal judge upheld the conviction of Mitchell Rupe, but agreed with Rupe's contention that at more than 400 pounds, he was too heavy to hang because of the risk of decapitation. Rupe argued that hanging would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

