COLUMBUS, OH — Governor Mike DeWine has issued execution reprieves for two Ohio death row inmates, citing the state’s ongoing difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs from pharmaceutical suppliers.
The governor granted new execution dates for Antonio Franklin and James Trimble, both of whom were previously scheduled to be executed in early 2026. Franklin’s execution has been postponed from February 11, 2026, to February 15, 2029, while Trimble’s date has been moved from March 12, 2026, to March 14, 2029.
Governor DeWine said the reprieves were necessary due to “ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC), pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans.”
Franklin was sentenced to death in Montgomery County in 1998 for the aggravated murders of Ivory and Ophelia Franklin, ages 76 and 71, and their son Anthony Franklin, 38. Firefighters found the victims’ bodies after responding to a blaze at their home. Investigators later determined that the fire was deliberately set by Antonio Franklin. This marks the second reprieve DeWine has granted Franklin.
Trimble was convicted in 2005 for the murders of three people and is currently housed at the Ross County Correctional Institution, where Franklin is also incarcerated.
According to the DRC, as of August 2025, Ohio had 113 inmates on death row, and no executions have taken place this year.
