Viral video of Ohio’s new plan for death row prisoners was ripped from The Onion

Ohio’s last execution occurred in 2018, but if you believe a video shared on Instagram, the state just introduced a gruesome execution method.

"Facing mounting criticism that lethal injection is cruel and outdated, Ohio has replaced it with a system that quickly and humanely rips off the heads of death-row inmates using powerful robotic arms," said a woman who appears to be a news anchor. "The new device is designed to be as humane as possible, emitting soothing white noise and putting prisoners on a cushioned seat before its metallic talons dig into their necks and painlessly wrench their heads off."

As the woman described the alleged execution method, a fairly graphic animation played, showing a claw armed robot tearing off the head of a person in an orange jumpsuit.

The video was shared July 12 and has since racked up more than 27,000 likes on a personal Instagram page. It does not signal that the sentiments in the "news segment" it shared were fictional, and some commenters appeared to believe it was factual.

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