LUCASVILLE — Wednesday’s execution of convicted killer Daniel Wilson was the second execution witnessed by the Rev. Neil Kookoothe.

Kookoothe, who serves as spiritual adviser to many inmates on Ohio’s death row and is pastor of the Church of St. Clarence in North Olmsted, also watched James Filiaggi’s 2007 execution.

Kookoothe said there were definitely differences between Wilson and Filiaggi, both from Lorain County, as they prepared to face death.

“Dan’s hope was there, and Jim was anxious to move on,” he said.

He said Filiaggi “bounded into” the state’s execution chamber at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility for his execution.

Filiaggi, who was executed for the 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Lisa Filiaggi, was prepared to die and didn’t want to spend another day in prison.

Although Filiaggi had filed a set of final appeals in an effort to stave off execution, he did so only because his trial attorney, current Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge, asked him to do so as a favor to Filiaggi’s mother.

Until that point, he hadn’t sought to delay his execution.

Wilson’s frame of mind was different, Kookoothe said during a news conference after Wednesday’s execution.

He had held out hope that he would be able to avoid execution and instead receive a life sentence and possibly even parole.

Wilson never denied killing Carol Lutz, but his attorneys had argued that he was improperly sentenced to death and deserved a new hearing.

Wilson lost that argument and his constitutional challenges to how the state carries out lethal injections during his lengthy legal fight in the state and federal courts.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---