(6-24-26) On May 27, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an order commuting the sentence of Gregory Lott, 64, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lott was convicted of aggravated murder and other charges in the 1986 killing of John McGrath, 82, whom he set on fire during a home burglary in East Cleveland.
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The order states that Lott is intellectually disabled and notes that prosecutors in 2022 withdrew their opposition to his clemency application.
The Marshall Project, a nonprofit that investigates the U.S. criminal justice system, reported that Lott’s death row commutation marks the first DeWine has issued during his time as governor.
DeWine granted Lott reprieves in 2019, 2020 and 2023, citing ongoing difficulties obtaining drugs used in lethal injections. Before the commutation, Lott’s execution was scheduled for April 2027.
This year, DeWine commuted the sentence of Michelle Williams, releasing her on parole. Williams, who was imprisoned for fatally shooting her husband, began serving a sentence of 15 years to life in 1994. The parole board had repeatedly denied her parole since she first became eligible in 2007.
Mercer County Outlook 