Christopher Newton

Christopher J. Newton (November 13, 1969 – May 24, 2007) was an American murderer executed in the state of Ohio in 2007.

Christopher Newton received the death penalty for the 2001 aggravated murder of his cellmate, Jason Brewer, during a dispute over a chess game. At the time of the murder, Newton was imprisoned for attempted aggravated burglary of his father's home, an offense he committed a few weeks after his release from prison for a prior attempted aggravated burglary.

Personal life Newton was born on November 13, 1969 to parents Jean and Lynn Newton. He was the youngest of five sons and one daughter. Their parents worked opposite shifts, and their mother operated an antique store and was also frequently gone. Their parents communicated with each other only by yelling or arguing. Their father was strict and imposed physical discipline, but their permissive mother did not follow through on punishments that had been imposed. His father had been physically abusive and perhaps sexually abusive. At various times in his life, Newton claimed that his father had sexually abused him, but at other times, he denied it. Newton was also bullied by his older siblings. Newton told Ort that he had been sexually abused by one of his brothers when he was five and by a neighbor when he was 11.

Newton was different from the other children when he was growing up, and he started getting into trouble at a very early age. When the family went on vacation, they left Newton to stay with their grandmother. The other children called Newton “Pyro” because he had set their home on fire when he was five or six years old, causing the family to live elsewhere for six months.

On November 15, 2001, around 5:10 a.m., correctional officers responded to a disturbance in cell 115. Brewer was lying still on the floor in a puddle of blood with a piece of orange cloth wrapped around his neck. Newton was laughing and had blood smeared all over his face. MANCI nurse Trena Butcher testified that when she examined Newton, he told her that he had “painted himself with the victim's blood and had also ingested the victim's blood as part of the ritual when you kill someone.” MANCI nurses testified that when she responded to cell 115, Brewer was not breathing and had no pulse. Responding paramedics worked diligently, and eventually Brewer's heart began to beat. An officer testified that while medical personnel were trying to save Brewer's life, Newton was laughing and yelling, "'Let him die. I killed him.'" According to paramedics, Newton said, "'Fuck that bitch [Brewer]. You might as well not even work on him. He is already dead.'" Nurses recall Newton periodically shouting to the paramedics, "'Stop, let the fucker die.'" State Highway Patrol Trooper Doug Hamman described Newton as singing, "'There is nothing like the taste of fresh blood in the morning.'"

Trial According to the Ohio Supreme Court, numerous psychiatrists and psychologists had examined Newton over the years, resulting in various diagnoses. At the capital trial, a defense psychologist testified that Newton had several mental health disorders, including "mood disorder" and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Newton was executed on May 24, 2007. A controversy arose regarding the delay in Newton's execution, as at the time he weighed 265 pounds. Subsequently, his veins were difficult to locate which made administration of the injections difficult. It took nearly two hours and 10 attempts before the execution was completed. The execution began at 10:00am with him being formally pronounced dead at 11:53am local time. During this time he would joke with the execution team and even had a bathroom break one hour into the ordeal.

His last meal was steak, asparagus, brussels sprouts, feta cheese, a soft drink, cake and watermelon. He gave a statement to officials, but his last words on the gurney were "I sure could use a beef stew and a chicken bone."