Convicted killer of 3-year-old seeking mercy

The Latest on an Ohio Parole Board hearing on a mercy request from a man to be executed next year for the 1993 rape and killing of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter.

The Ohio Parole Board has begun hearing arguments on a request for mercy from a man set to die in January for the 1993 rape and killing of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter.

Ronald Phillips is the first death row inmate scheduled for execution next year under a new process for putting condemned prisoners to death. The hearing began Thursday morning.

The board rejected clemency in 2013 for Phillips.

Phillips' attorneys have asked the board in a written filing to spare Phillips, calling the case tragic but arguing that Phillips as an individual is not one of the worst of the worst offenders.

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh says Phillips has consistently blamed others for his actions and it's time for justice to be served.

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