Death Row Inmate Romell Broom Survived 18 Failed Execution Attempts After They Couldn't Find His Vein, Later Died from COVID-19 in Prison

In one of the most extraordinary and unsettling cases in U.S. death penalty history, Romell Broom, a death row inmate in Ohio, survived an attempted execution in 2009 after 18 failed lethal injection attempts left prison staff unable to locate a viable vein.

The botched execution unfolded over a grueling two-hour period, during which Broom endured significant pain and distress as medical staff repeatedly tried — and failed — to insert the necessary IV lines. The unprecedented situation forced officials to halt the execution and return Broom to his cell, making him one of the very few inmates in modern history to survive a lethal injection attempt.

Following the failed execution, legal debates and appeals ensued, with Broom’s attorneys arguing that another attempt would violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Despite the controversy, Broom remained on death row for over a decade after the incident.

In 2020, before another execution date could be set, Romell Broom died in prison from complications related to COVID-19. His death closed a chapter on a case that had raised serious ethical, legal, and procedural questions about the death penalty and execution methods in the United States.

The story of Romell Broom remains a stark reminder of the potential flaws in capital punishment procedures — and the lasting impact of one of the most infamous failed executions in American history.