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Gov. Kasich commutes death sentence for William Montgomery

The Governor's decision to grant clemency comes after the Ohio Parole Board recommended the execution be canceled. The Board voted six to four, saying life without parole was a more appropriate sentence, citing serious questions about the integrity of the trial.
William Montgomery in court in 1986 (Source: WTOL)

COLUMBUS, OH (WTOL) - Ohio Governor John Kasich has commuted the death sentence of William Montgomery to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Montgomery had been scheduled to be executed on April 11.

The Governor's decision to grant clemency comes after the Ohio Parole Board recommended the execution be canceled. The Board voted six to four, saying life without parole was a more appropriate sentence, citing serious questions about the integrity of the trial.

Montgomery was convicted of the 1986 murders of Toledoans Debra Ogle, and her roommate, Cynthia Tincher. However, he had maintained his innocence.

"And the bottom line, today there's nothing I can do," Tincher's mother Jane Ogle said Monday. "It's Debbie's and Cyndi's day, it's their day. Why? Because he's not coming out again."

The Ohio Department of Corrections says Montgomery will now be reclassified and reassigned to another facility, but that process will take several weeks.

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