Dennis McGuireCOLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a condemned killer’s last-minute appeal in which he claimed a jury never heard the full extent of his chaotic and abusive childhood.
The court’s ruling moved death row inmate Dennis McGuire closer to execution Thursday for the 1989 rape and fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Joy Stewart, who was newly married and pregnant, in Preble County in western Ohio.
The court denied McGuire’s application for a stay of execution without offering explanation.
McGuire, 53, is scheduled to die by a two-drug combination never used in the U.S. to put an inmate to death. His attorneys allege the process will cause him “agony and terror” as he struggles to breathe.
The state disputes that scenario, and a federal judge on Monday rejected McGuire’s attempt to stop his execution over concerns about the lethal method.