Lundgren prepares to die

The Ohio Attorney General's office quickly appealed that decision to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Late Monday night, a three-judge panel lifted the stay.
Lundgren, 56, formerly housed at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, remained in a holding cell Monday night dressed in dark blue pants and a white V-neck pullover shirt, preparing for his execution scheduled for 10 a.m. today.
For his special meal, the 6-foot-1, 275-pound inmate dined on turkey (white meat), "bread dressing," otherwise known as stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, tossed salad with tomatoes and radishes with French dressing, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and Pepsi.
His final meal will be breakfast, which had not been announced Monday night.
Lundgren was convicted of shooting a family of five to death in 1989 while they stood in a pit dug inside his Kirtland barn.
The victims were Dennis Avery, 49; his wife, Cheryl, 46; and daughters Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and Karen, 7.
Lundgren is arguing he should not die for the murders because he is now diabetic and obese, which could make lethal injection more difficult.
Execution team members were scheduled to stay with him all night to give him whatever he needs to keep him comfortable. Lundgren has a TV and radio in his cell, but did not appear to be interested in such activities.
He is allowed visitors with contact and three witnesses to his execution, but Lundgren told officials no one in his family, including his wife, Kathryn, will see him either in his cell or in the death chamber. He also is permitted to make collect phone calls, but had not done so Monday evening.
He will be allowed to shower before the execution. His attorneys and a spiritual advisor will be available to him until 9 a.m., but Lundgren had not yet requested a meeting with a religious leader by press time Monday.
"He's been reading his Bible a lot today," said Andrea Dean, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Corrections, at a press briefing Monday. "He also took a nap earlier in the afternoon."
Lundgren's only witnesses will be his two attorneys, Henry Hilow and Jim Jenkins.
He will walk 17 steps from his holding cell to his execution chamber. Warden Edwin Voorhies will read him the death warrant.
Strapped to a gurney, Lundgren will be asked to give a final statement, which has no restrictions on time or content.
The warden will give a secret signal, and the lethal injection process - which usually takes between 6 and 8 minutes - will begin.
The warden will pull the curtain when it's over. The coroner's office will verify that there are no vital signs. The curtain will open again, and the warden will announce the official cause of death.
Lundgren's family has said they do not want his body, so the prison will make his final arrangements, which were expected to be finalized today.
The survivor witnesses are: Donald Bailey, Cheryl Avery's brother; Kent Clisby, her other brother; U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette, who prosecuted the case; current Lake County Prosecutor Charles Coulson; and victims' advocates Heidi DiLillo and Michelle Bengal.
There will also be three media witnesses.
The cost of a lethal injection is $74.17.
Lundgren formed a cult after he was fired as a lay minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several people lived with him in a rented farmhouse, calling him "Dad" and turning over their paychecks to him.
The Averys had moved from Missouri in 1987 to follow his teachings.
Lundgren testified in court that passages in the Bible told him to kill the family. Nearly 17 years later, he told a parole officer he now realizes he misinterpreted some things in the Bible.

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