Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ohio Court To Weigh Former Death Row Inmate's Claim

State of Ohio

A former death row inmate exonerated when another man confessed to his crime is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to completely clear his name to allow him to seek compensation from the state. 

81-year-old Dale Johnston of Grove City was sentenced to die in 1984 for the shooting deaths of his teenage stepdaughter and her fiance two years earlier. The case against him fell apart on appeal, and he was freed in 1990. Another man confessed in 2008 to killing the couple. Three years ago, a Franklin County judge declared Johnston innocent, allowing him to seek compensation from the state, but an appeals court reversed the ruling. The Supreme Court will hear Johnston's case Wednesday. The state opposes Johnston's efforts.

Related Content