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Death row inmate appeals for mercy

COLUMBUS, Mo., July 9 (UPI) -- Fifteen days from his scheduled execution, an Ohio inmate has asked for clemency from the governor, a report said Wednesday.

In a letter to Gov. Bob Taft, Richard Cooey said he supports the death penalty but sought clemency based on an abusive childhood, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

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He was convicted of the 1986 abduction, rape, torture and murder of two college students.

At a parole board hearing Tuesday, prosecutor Sherri Walsh urged the board not to be "fooled by his words, his pleas, his promises." She said little else, but projected a photograph of the two victims in their graduation gowns and tombstones.

Cooey's defense attorney said the man is remorseful after 17 years on death row, and wants to pay the price, but not with his life.

Taft last granted clemency to a death row inmate June 26, based on DNA evidence and evidence disclosed after the trial.

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