COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attorneys for a killer whose execution was stopped last year after 25 minutes of unsuccessful needle sticks are again recommending the firing squad.

The execution could also proceed if the state adopts a lethal injection process that includes a headpiece to monitor the brain activity of death row inmate Alva Campbell and medicine to revive him if the lethal drugs don’t work, attorneys have said in a court filing. Otherwise, Campbell’s execution would involve ‘‘a sure or very likely risk of serious harm in the form of severe, needless physical pain and suffering,’’ his public defenders said.

The attorney general’s office wants Campbell’s request tossed out, saying it’s ‘‘beyond the borders of common sense’’ and a ‘‘non-starter’’ because the firing squad is not a method Ohio law recognizes.

Associated Press