On the surface, Laqwan Scandrick seemed a perfect candidate for a charge carrying the possibility of a death sentence.

A story from the AP says, prosecutors said Scandrick shot a man to death during a robbery in Springfield in 2006. Under Ohio law, committing a homicide during an aggravated robbery is one of several elements allowing the state to seek capital punishment.

Clark County Prosecutor Stephen Schumaker, however, took advantage of a new law that allows prosecutors to seek the second-toughest punishment available for aggravated murders _ life with no chance of parole _ without first seeking a death sentence. Previously, the sentence was an option only for jurors weighing an alternative to a death sentence.

Prosecutors around Ohio, citing the ability to pursue harsh punishment without going through the complication and expense of a death penalty case, are starting to take advantage of the 2005 law, according to a review of state records by The Associated Press.

The number of death penalty indictments sought statewide dropped 32 percent from 2004 to 2007, according to figures compiled by the Ohio Public Defender's Office.

Meanwhile, the number of life without parole sentences rose by more than two-thirds in the three years since the law took effect compared with the three years before, when 45 inmates entered prison with the permanent life sentence, according to the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Ten offenders have received the sentence so far this year.

Click here to read more of this story from the AP.