A federal appeals court has refused to halt the execution of an Ohio man who raped a 14-year-old girl and stabbed her to death.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Tuesday denied 53-year-old Romell Broom's request to stay the execution and to allow an appeal to go before the full court.
A three-judge panel of the court had rejected the appeal late Monday.
Broom's attorney Tim Sweeney said there were no further appeals options.
The state had stopped its execution preparations pending the appeals court decision. A prisons spokeswoman says preparations have resumed and estimated the execution will take place about 1:30 p.m.
Broom was convicted in the 1984 slaying of Tryna Middleton after abducting her at knifepoint in Cleveland.
