Ohio Reschedules Execution of Cedric Carter from August 24, 2022, to August 27, 2025
Cedric Carter, Ohio
Updated: Monday, August 22, 2022
Ohio planned to execute Cedric Carter at 10 am local time on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Mansfield, Ohio. His execution has been rescheduled to August 27, 2025. Forty-nine-year-old Cedric is convicted of murdering 56-year-old Frances Messinger on April 6, 1992, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cedric has spent the last 30 years of his life on death row in Ohio.
On April 5, 1992, Kenny Hill borrowed a car from his cousin’s boyfriend and picked up two friends: Cedric Carter and Virgil Simms. The trio drove around, drinking large quantities of alcohol and using marijuana and crack cocaine. After robbing five drug dealers, the trio decided to rob a United Dairy Farmer convenience store.
On April 6, 1992, during the early morning hours, Frances Messinger was working alone at a United Dairy Farmer convenience store in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shortly after 2 am, Carter and Hill entered the store. Simms waited outside in the vehicle.
After entering the store, Carter ordered an ice cream cone. Frances came to the cash register to accept payment. Hill passed Carter a gun and Carter fired the gun at the floor. This scared Frances who shut the register drawer. Carter demanded Frances reopen the register but she refused. Carter fired a second shot after Frances began moving in an attempt to push an alarm button. Frances was shot in the forehead, killing her. Carter alleges that he intended to shoot near Frances to scare her, but not strike her. The three men fled from the scene.
On April 7, 1992, Kenny Hill surrendered to police. Carter was arrested the following morning at the apartment where he was staying. A search of the apartment revealed the murder weapon. Eventually, Carter confessed to shooting Frances. Carter was convicted and sentenced to death for Frances’ murder.
Cedric Carter’s execution has been stayed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. The execution has been rescheduled to August 27, 2025. In 2019, Governor DeWine issued a moratorium on executions in Ohio over concerns that drug suppliers will cut off all medicine to the state if Ohio continues to perform executions. Since then, Ohio, which schedules executions years in advance, has rescheduled numerous executions. Read more about Ohio’s drug supply problem here.
Please pray for peace for the family of Frances Messinger. Pray for strength for the family of Cedric. Please pray that if Cedric is innocent, lacks the competence to be executed, or should not be executed for any other reason, that evidence will be provided before his execution. Pray that Cedric may come to find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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