USA - Ohio. Johnnie Baston, 37, black, was executed

Johnnie Baston, 37, black, was executed today, with the country's first-ever use of pentobarbital as a stand-alone execution drug. Baston was sentenced for killing Chong-Hoon Mah, 53, a South Korean immigrant, during a store robbery in 1994. The victim's relatives oppose the death penalty and the execution. The Lucas County prosecutor's office acknowledges the victim's family's opposition to Baston's execution but points out the family testified strongly about its anguish and Baston's lack of remorse. Oklahoma uses also pentobarbital, a barbiturate, but in combination with other drugs that paralyze inmates and stop their hearts. Batson becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Ohio and the 43rd overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1999. Batson becomes the 9th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1243rd overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.