Ohio man executed for 1984 killings

LUCASVILLE, Ohio, May 17 (UPI) -- A 63-year-old man was put to death in Ohio Tuesday after an hour's delay while his lawyers made a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Daniel Lee Bedford's execution, for killing his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend 27 years ago, was also slowed because technicians had trouble finding a vein, The Columbus Dispatch reported. As his lawyer monitored the proceedings from an observation room, prison employees spent 11 minutes in several unsuccessful attempts before inserting an intravenous line.

Bedford made no last statement but told his daughter, Michelle Connor, "I love you Shell."

"I love you, daddy," she replied.

Bedford shot Gwen Toepfert, 24, and John Smith, 27, as they slept in April 1984. One of Toepfert's brothers, who witnessed the execution with another brother and an uncle, held up a picture of the young woman as Bedford died.

The execution was originally scheduled for 10 a.m. but postponed for an hour because Bedford's lawyers had asked the nation's highest court to stop it. The court refused to act.

Carol Wright, the lawyer who witnessed the execution, asked Bedford several times if he was all right. She also made a phone call to a colleague, describing the procedure as "a bloody mess."