The governor has rejected a request for mercy from Ohio's "homicidal hitchhiker" who faces execution for the killing 27 years ago of a Cincinnati man.
Gov. Ted Strickland said Wednesday he was following the recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board which last month unanimously voted against recommending clemency for death row inmate Michael Beuke.
Strickland said he reviewed court and prison records, arguments presented to the board and new information Beuke provided this week about brain damage he blames for his actions.
Beuke is scheduled to die by injection Thursday for the 1983 aggravated murder of 27-year-old Robert Craig, killed during a three-week shooting spree that wounded two other drivers.
The 48-year-old Beuke asked for mercy based on his remorse and his spiritual transformation in prison.