Man goes to his execution with defiant gesture

CLEVELAND – An Ohio man who has been executed for shooting dead his three sons while they slept in 1982 died with his hand clenched…

CLEVELAND – An Ohio man who has been executed for shooting dead his three sons while they slept in 1982 died with his hand clenched in an offensive gesture.

Reginald Brooks (66) died at 2:04pm local time after raising the middle finger of his left hand.

State and federal courts rejected lawyers’ arguments that Brooks was not mentally competent and that the government hid relevant evidence that could have affected his case.

Prosecutors acknowledged Brooks was mentally ill but disputed the notions that this caused the murders or made him incompetent. – (AP)