Richard E Fox

Richard E. Fox, 47, was executed by injection after being refused clemency and a chance to argue for re-sentencing. His attorneys said a week earlier that no more appeals would be filed.

He was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m. at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.

Fox kidnapped, stabbed and strangled Leslie Keckler, 18, of Bowling Green, on Sept. 26, 1989. Her body was found

4 days later in a ditch near the northwest Ohio city. He was convicted in 1990 of aggravated murder and kidnapping. Fox had confessed.  Gov. Bob Taft refused to grant clemency, saying there was no doubt that Fox was guilty.
The 47-year-old politely declined to make a final statement and kept his eyes closed as three drugs were injected into his arms in the death chamber of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.
"No, sir," Fox answered when Warden James Haviland asked if he would like to say any last words.

Facing the ceiling, he avoided looking at witnesses, guards or the warden, who stood next to him. His hands were open, palms facing up and his eyes were closed, fluttering only briefly as the drugs began to take effect.

Fox swallowed once and pursed his lips. His chest and stomach rose and fell quickly more than a dozen times, the force of the air causing his lips to sputter and his chin to shudder.
As his breathing appeared to slow, Haviland watched his chest closely for several minutes before nodding to the doctor to determine the time of death — 10:13 a.m.

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