Ohio Execution of Warren Henness Rescheduled from January 12, 2022 to December 17, 2024
Warren Henness, Ohio
Updated: Monday, January 17, 2022
Warren Keith Henness was scheduled to be executed at 10 am local time, on January 12, 2022, at the Southern Ohio Correction Facility in Mansfield, Ohio. His execution has been rescheduled to December 17, 2024. Fifty-eight-year-old Warren was convicted of the robbery and murder of 51-year-old Richard Myers in Columbus, Ohio, on March 20, 1992. Warren has spent the last 26 years on Ohio’s death row.
On the morning of March 20, 1992, Richard Myers, a laboratory technician, told his wife that he had something to do before work at midnight. Richard was not specific with what he needed to do, but his wife assumed it had to do with his volunteer work of counseling drug and alcohol addicts. Richard was gone when she returned home from work that afternoon, however, he never reported to work that night.
Warren Henness was a drug addict who had been receiving help from Richard. On the morning of March 20, 1992, Richard picked up Henness from where he was living with his wife, Tabatha. A few hours later, Henness returned to pick up Tabatha in Richard’s vehicle. Richard was no where to be seen and Henness had Richard’s credit cards and check book. Tabatha suggested using a drug dealer, Roland Fair to pose as Richard so that they could use the checks and credit cards.
Upon arriving at Fair’s apartment the following day, Henness told Fair that the owner of the checks, credit cards, and vehicle was in a hotel room, being kept drunk by two prostitutes. While at the apartment, Henness was seen washing a knife. A knife with a dark stain was also seen soaking in the sink. Hennessy said the knife was his. The trio used the checks and credit cards to buy drugs and merchandise to sell for drugs.
During their spending spree, Tabatha suggested that Henness tell Fair the truth about Richard. Henness said that he killed Richard after Richard pulled a gun on him. They discussed ways of disposing the body. A few days later, Tabatha noticed that Henness was wearing a gold wedding ring that had belonged to Richard. Henness had also sold the car, forging a bill of sale.
Shortly thereafter, police impounded the car, as Richard, it owner, was reported missing. The kid to whom Henness had sold the car told police he had bought the car from Henness.
On March 25, 1992, police were anonymously alerted to the body of a man in an abandoned water purification plant. It was Richard Myers. Richard had been gagged, his hands tied behind his back with a coat hanger, and his shoe laces tied together. He had been shot five times in the head, had a large cut on his neck, abrasions on his knees, like he had been forced to kneel on concrete. His left ring finger had been severed six to eight hours after death.
Henness was picked up by police on an unrelated charge. As a suspect in the murder of Richard, homicide deceives interviewed him. Henness first alluded to Fair committing the murder and stated that he did not own a handgun. Later, Henness blamed Cubans for the death or Richard, claiming that Richard was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Henness was convicted and sentenced to death.
Warren Henness has had several execution date since 2015. The numerous execution dates were stayed following various legal problems that have arisen since the January 2014, execution of Dennis McGuire. Dennis was executed in Ohio using a new two-drug execution process. The execution took longer than expected, with debate over whether Dennis was fully unconscious during the execution. Due to the controversial nature of Dennis’ execution, nearly all following execution have since been postponed and rescheduled. More recently, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, in a statement released by his office, announced the rescheduling of several executions, “due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans.”
Please pray for peace and healing for the family of Richard Myers. Please pray for strength for the family of Warren Henness. Pray that if Warren is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed, or should not be executed for any other reason, the truth will be revealed before he is executed. Please pray that Warren may come to find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if he has not already.
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