Committee: 56 Proposals For Ohio Death Penalty

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A committee that spent more than two years studying changes to Ohio's death penalty law is recommending 56 updates to the law, including restrictions on the use of capital punishment charges. The committee's final report proposes eliminating cases where an aggravated murder was committed during a burglary, robbery or rape and banning the execution of the mentally ill. The 71-page draft report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday also recommends the creation of a state panel that would approve or disapprove of death penalty charges proposed by county prosecutors. The death penalty review committee, created in 2011 by Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, convenes Thursday for what is expected to be its final meeting. Most recommendations would need legislative approval.