Failed Execution Attempt of Romell Broom

On September 15, 2009, Ohio attempted to execute Romell Broom using lethal injection. The procedure became a documented example in the modern U.S. history of botched executions.

What happened

Execution personnel repeatedly tried to establish a usable IV line in Broom’s arms and legs. After more than two hours, Governor Ted Strickland ordered the attempt stopped. Broom later died on Ohio death row in 2020.

Result

The immediate result was that Romell Broom survived the attempt; Ohio stopped the execution after more than two hours of unsuccessful IV-access efforts. This is an important distinction in the broader history of execution failures: some botched procedures ultimately kill the prisoner after a prolonged or visibly problematic process, while others are abandoned and leave the prisoner alive.

Why the case is classified as botched

The Death Penalty Information Center’s historical compilation uses a research definition centered on breakdowns or departures from execution protocol that produce unanticipated problems, delays, possible unnecessary suffering, or gross operational incompetence. The Romell Broom case fits that framework because the intended lethal injection process did not proceed in the controlled manner the state expected.

Historical context

The event page is kept separate from the person profile so later work can attach the correct prison, execution protocol, court litigation, officials, method history and state-level death-penalty context without overloading the biography.

Sources

– Death Penalty Information Center — Botched Executions (case entry for Romell Broom)