Tyrone Noling presents evidence to Ohio Parole Board seeking a full pardon for a crime he insists he did not commit.
Tyrone Noling has spent 30 years on death row for the double murder of an elderly Ohio couple, despite insisting he did not commit the crime. During a recent clemency hearing, Noling presented a growing body of evidence to the Ohio Parole Board, including recanted witness testimony and clues pointing to an already executed killer as the potential perpetrator. Noling was convicted in 1996 for the killings of Bearnhardt Hartig and Cora Hartig, but no physical evidence tied him to the crime and the murder weapon was found. Advocates for Noling argue that the three boys who initially implicated him were pressured by police to name him as the shooter. Former Portage County Sheriff Ken Howe has also come forward to support Noling's innocence, noting that there were red flags at the user's original investigation. The parole board will issue its recommendation to Governor Mike DeWine by August 25. DeWine, a Republican, has recently expressed a change in stance regarding the death penalty, stating he no longer views capital punishment as a deterrent to violent crime.