COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge has rejected the request of a condemned Ohio killer to delay his execution because of his extreme weight.

Death row inmate Ronald Post weighs more than 400 pounds. He is asking the courts to stop his January execution on the grounds his weight could cause him to suffer severe pain during the procedure.

Cleveland federal Judge Lesley Wells said Monday that Post is prohibited from challenging his execution by injection because he raised similar claims in his first set of federal appeals in 1997.

The judge says Post hasn't shown that his medical condition and the state's injection procedures have changed significantly enough to warrant a new legal challenge.

The 53-year-old is sentenced to die for the 1983 shooting death of hotel desk clerk Helen Vantz in Elyria.