USA - Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine is considering commuting some death sentences

November 10, 2026 - Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine is considering commuting some death sentences 

But not a blanket commutation for all 106 death row inmates.

DeWine said Monday (November 9) that while he’s looking at commuting some death-penalty sentences before leaving office in January, he won’t follow California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lead by issuing a blanket commutation for all 106 Ohio Death Row inmates.

“I’ve made the decision that I’m not going to do a blanket reduction as California did,” DeWine said in an interview. “We will look at every single case and make decisions based on that case.”

Ohio has not executed anyone since 2018, before DeWine took office.

DeWine, a Republican who announced his personal opposition to the death penalty in June, has asked the Ohio Parole Board to review and make recommendations on several death-sentence cases.

The Parole Board scheduled clemency hearings in December for Denny Obermiller, Melvin Bonnell, Freddie McNeill and Stanley Jalowiec, according to prosecutors' offices in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties. The board will also interview Victoria Drain in mid-December, said Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.

As governor, DeWine can issue pardons—an official forgiveness for a crime—or reduce someone's sentence through a commutation, but he can't make any clemency decisions until he receives a recommendation from the Parole Board. Earlier this year, he commuted the death row sentence of Gregory Lott to life in prison without the possibility of parole (see HoC 08/06/2026).

"The commutation process typically takes months and provides prosecutors, the victim's family, and the public ample opportunity to express their concerns," said Lou Tobin, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. "Doing this in the short amount of time before he leaves office raises serious questions about whether he is honoring the state's obligations to the victims of these crimes and to the public."

DeWine has not yet acted on the board's recommendation for Tyrone Noling (see HoC 25/08/2026), who maintains his innocence in the 1990 murders of an elderly Portage County couple. The board suggested Noling's sentence be commuted to life in prison with parole eligibility after Jan. 1, 2029.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also leaves office in January, recently made headlines for commuting the sentences of 548 people on death row in the state.