Ohio has held no death-row clemency hearing since 2020
Tyrone Noling, 54, of Alliance, Ohio, made his case for a full pardon to the Ohio Parole Board on Tuesday, three decades after he was sentenced to death for the murders of an elderly Ohio couple. The hearing in Columbus came as Noling continues to insist he did not commit the killings.
Noling’s attorneys say his innocence claim is now backed by what they describe as a growing body of evidence. His legal team presented the evidence to the board at Tuesday’s hearing with the support of the Ohio Innocence Project.
The presentation included recanted witness testimony and changed positions by the sheriff who originally investigated the case and by one of the jurors who served at his trial. His attorneys also described clues pointing to an already executed killer as the possible perpetrator of the crimes.
His case has been the subject of documentaries and true-crime podcasts over the years, and has drawn public support from celebrities including Kim Kardashian and actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who have all publicly backed his exoneration.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, the parole board will issue its recommendation to Gov. Mike DeWine, who holds the final authority on clemency decisions in Ohio. The board’s recommendation is not binding on the governor.
DeWine, a Republican, called in June for the death penalty’s abolition. He asked the Ohio legislature to repeal capital punishment, saying his stance had changed because he no longer views it as a deterrent to violent crime.
Tuesday’s session was the first Ohio death row clemency hearing before the board since 2020. After the board completes its review, the question of clemency will move to DeWine’s desk.