Lawyers seek to delay Georgia execution set for next week
2 years, 10 months ago

Lawyers seek to delay Georgia execution set for next week

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Lawyers for a Georgia man scheduled to be put to death next week for killing an 8-year-old girl 46 years ago are trying to delay the execution. The lawsuit says the agreement said that, with one named exception, executions wouldn’t resume until six months after three conditions had been met: the expiration of the state’s COVID-19 judicial emergency, the resumption of normal visitation at state prisons and the availability of a COVID vaccine “to all members of the public.” The judicial emergency ended in June, but prisons are still using a modified visitation policy and children under 5 still can’t access the vaccine, according to the lawsuit which names Carr and the state of Georgia as defendants. The agreement said that once the conditions were met, the state intended to seek an execution date for Billy Raulerson, who was sentenced to death for the May 1993 killings of three people in south Georgia, and that Raulerson’s lawyers would be given at least three months notice after the conditions were met, the lawsuit says. A few days later, on April 25, the state attorney notified Presnell’s lawyers that the state intended to seek an execution warrant for him, the lawsuit says. Contrary to the agreement, the attorney general gave Presnell’s attorneys just two days of notice that they intended to set his execution date, the lawsuit says.

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History of this topic

Lawyers spar over COVID-related agreement that shields some on Georgia’s death row from execution
1 month, 1 week ago

Lawyers spar over COVID-related agreement that shields some on Georgia’s death row from execution

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The state of Georgia said during Thursday arguments that a COVID-19 pandemic-related agreement shielding certain people on death row from execution should no longer apply, but death penalty defense attorneys said it’s still valid because some of its conditions have yet to be met. The agreement said executions wouldn’t be scheduled for a certain group of people on …

An Arizona man has been sitting on death row for two decades. He asked to be executed next month
2 months, 3 weeks ago

An Arizona man has been sitting on death row for two decades. He asked to be executed next month

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Aaron Brian Gunches' now hopeful execution would mark …

An Arizona prisoner is asking to be executed sooner than the state wants
2 months, 3 weeks ago

An Arizona prisoner is asking to be executed sooner than the state wants

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — An Arizona death row prisoner asked the state’s highest court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution earlier than authorities were aiming for, pushing as he had in the past to have his death sentence carried out. In a handwritten court filing this week, Gunches asked the state Supreme Court to schedule his execution for mid-February for …

Inmate asks to delay execution, says co-defendant who blamed him for killing had secret deal
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Inmate asks to delay execution, says co-defendant who blamed him for killing had secret deal

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An inmate set to be executed in South Carolina in three weeks wants the state Supreme Court to delay the execution so his lawyers can argue his co-defendant who testified against him lied about having no plea deal in exchange for his testimony. Also on Friday, the South Carolina’s Supreme Court promised it would wait at least …

Texas sets execution date for East Texas man accused in shaken baby case
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Texas sets execution date for East Texas man accused in shaken baby case

Associated Press  

A Texas court on Monday set an execution date for Robert Roberson, who was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his 2-year-old daughter but has consistently challenged the conviction on the claim that it was based on questionable science. At trial, doctors testified that Nikki’s death was consistent with shaken baby syndrome — in which an infant is severely …

Georgia death row inmate to be executed after last-ditch appeal
1 year ago

Georgia death row inmate to be executed after last-ditch appeal

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Willie James Pye, 59, has been on death …

Clemency rejected for man scheduled to be 1st person executed in Georgia in more than 4 years
1 year ago

Clemency rejected for man scheduled to be 1st person executed in Georgia in more than 4 years

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia’s parole board has rejected clemency for a condemned man set to die Wednesday night, clearing the way for the state’s first execution in more than four years. After a hearing held behind closed doors, the Georgia Parole Board denied Pye’s request for clemency, the agency announced late Tuesday. Pye’s lawyers called the man’s trial “a shocking relic …

Man seeks clemency to avoid what could be Georgia’s first execution in more than 4 years
1 year ago

Man seeks clemency to avoid what could be Georgia’s first execution in more than 4 years

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A Georgia man should not be executed because he is intellectually disabled and feels remorse for killing his former girlfriend three decades ago, his lawyers wrote in seeking clemency for him. “Had defense counsel not abdicated his role, the jurors would have learned that Mr. Pye is intellectually disabled and has an IQ of 68,” Pye’s public defenders …

Georgia readies to resume executions after a 4-year pause brought by COVID and a legal agreement
1 year ago

Georgia readies to resume executions after a 4-year pause brought by COVID and a legal agreement

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — An execution scheduled for next week would be the first in Georgia in more than four years. In April 2021, the state attorney general’s office entered into an agreement with attorneys for death row prisoners to suspend executions for a certain group of prisoners and to establish conditions under which they could resume. In early 2021, a committee …

Georgia sets execution date for man who killed ex-girlfriend 30 years ago
1 year ago

Georgia sets execution date for man who killed ex-girlfriend 30 years ago

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A man who killed his …

Arizona Supreme Court rejects bid to reschedule execution
1 year, 11 months ago

Arizona Supreme Court rejects bid to reschedule execution

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In late March, the state Supreme Court rejected a …

Arizona Supreme Court rejects bid to reschedule execution
1 year, 11 months ago

Arizona Supreme Court rejects bid to reschedule execution

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court declined Wednesday to reschedule an execution initially set for this week that looked unlikely to be carried out after Gov. In late March, the state Supreme Court rejected a request from Price’s sister, Karen Price, to order Hobbs to carry out the execution. The corrections department said the warrant of execution issued by the …

Execution delayed for death row inmate who cut out his eyes
2 years ago

Execution delayed for death row inmate who cut out his eyes

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Next month’s scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate, whose attorneys say gouged out both of his eyes — each a separate incident — because of severe mental illness, was delayed by a judge on Tuesday. “We are confident that when we present the evidence of Mr. Thomas’s incompetence, the court will agree that executing him would …

Georgia court: State must honor pledge to delay executions
2 years, 3 months ago

Georgia court: State must honor pledge to delay executions

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Supreme Court says that a state pledge to not execute some inmates until certain conditions are met following the COVID-19 pandemic is a binding contract that the state can’t ignore. At issue is an April 14, 2021, email exchange between Senior Assistant Attorney General Sabrina Graham, who leads death penalty litigation for the state, and Anna Arceneaux, …

When Death Must Wait: Alabama calls off execution after problem with inserting IV
2 years, 4 months ago

When Death Must Wait: Alabama calls off execution after problem with inserting IV

Firstpost  

Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said prison staff tried for about an hour to get the two required intravenous lines connected to Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57 ATMORE: Alabama’s execution of a man convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife was called off Thursday just before the midnight deadline because state officials couldn’t find a suitable …

Lawyers for Arizona inmate facing execution file new appeal
2 years, 4 months ago

Lawyers for Arizona inmate facing execution file new appeal

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Lawyers for an Arizona death row inmate scheduled to be executed on Nov. 16 have filed a new appeal. Murray Hooper’s attorneys filed another petition for post-conviction relief Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court, saying “newly discovered material facts” have been discovered in the case and the 76-year-old inmate should be entitled to a new trial. Hooper and …

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection
2 years, 5 months ago

Judge dismisses lawsuit over upcoming lethal injection

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala — A federal judge dismissed an inmate’s claim seeking to block his upcoming execution in Alabama because of reported problems at a recent lethal injection. But U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. also warned Alabama’s prison commissioner to strictly follow established protocol when officials attempt to put Smith to death next month. Smith’s attorneys pointed to a …

Arizona Supreme Court could issue execution warrant Oct. 12
2 years, 7 months ago

Arizona Supreme Court could issue execution warrant Oct. 12

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court said Wednesday that a warrant of execution for death row inmate Murray Hooper could be issued in two months. A briefing schedule issued by the state’s high court shows the state’s motion for an execution warrant must be filed by the end of the week. If the motion is granted when the court considers …

Oklahoma official seeks execution dates for 25 inmates
2 years, 9 months ago

Oklahoma official seeks execution dates for 25 inmates

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s attorney general has asked the state’s highest appeals court to set execution dates for 25 death row inmates following a federal judge’s rejection of their challenge to the state’s lethal injection method. In 25 similar filings with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday, Attorney General John O’Connor wrote that the federal court’s stays of …

As execution warrant lapses, families tell AP grief is fresh
2 years, 10 months ago

As execution warrant lapses, families tell AP grief is fresh

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The families of two young girls who were abducted and attacked 46 years ago by a Georgia man who was scheduled to be put to death last week say they are “deeply upset and disappointed” that the execution was halted by a judge and the death warrant was allowed to expire Tuesday. Lisa Smith, Lori’s older sister, said …

Families of victims upset at delay in Georgia execution
2 years, 10 months ago

Families of victims upset at delay in Georgia execution

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The families of two young …

Lawyers: Georgia man’s death sentence is unconstitutional
2 years, 10 months ago

Lawyers: Georgia man’s death sentence is unconstitutional

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Lawyers for a Georgia man whose execution was put on hold by a judge this week are arguing that he is ineligible for execution because he has cognitive impairments that cause him to function like a young child or someone with intellectual disability. Lawyers for Virgil Delano Presnell Jr. said in a filing with the Georgia Supreme Court …

Execution for Georgia man who killed girl temporarily stayed
2 years, 10 months ago

Execution for Georgia man who killed girl temporarily stayed

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A judge on Monday temporarily delayed the execution of a Georgia man who was scheduled to die Tuesday for killing an 8-year-old girl 46 years ago. The lawsuit filed on behalf of the Federal Defender Program, which represents Presnell, alleges the agreement said that, with one named exception, executions wouldn’t resume until six months after three conditions had …

Lawyer says Georgia man set for execution should be spared
2 years, 10 months ago

Lawyer says Georgia man set for execution should be spared

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The life of a Georgia man set to be executed Tuesday for killing an 8-year-old girl should be spared, his lawyer argues, explaining that her client has significant cognitive impairments that likely contributed to his crimes and has suffered horrific abuse in prison. Virgil Presnell is profoundly disabled,” his attorney Monet Brewerton-Palmer wrote in a clemency application that …

Georgia sets execution for man convicted 45 years ago
2 years, 11 months ago

Georgia sets execution for man convicted 45 years ago

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A Georgia man convicted of killing an 8-year-old girl and raping a 10-year-old girl more than 45 years ago is scheduled to be executed next month, state officials said. Presnell staked out a Cobb County elementary school on May 3, 1976, and saw a 10-year-old girl walking home on a wooded trail. She described Presnell and his car …

Hearing set for Mississippi inmate who sought execution date
3 years ago

Hearing set for Mississippi inmate who sought execution date

Associated Press  

— A Mississippi judge will hold a hearing next month to determine if a death row inmate truly wants to request an execution date and if the inmate is mentally competent to waive appeals in the case. In court papers filed Monday, a special assistant state attorney general said the hearing for Blayde Nathaniel Grayson is scheduled for April 7 …

Mississippi orders competency hearing on execution request
3 years, 1 month ago

Mississippi orders competency hearing on execution request

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi Supreme Court is ordering a trial court judge to determine if a Mississippi death row inmate truly wants to request an execution date and if the inmate is mentally competent to waive his appeals in the case. The state’s high court on Friday ordered that Blayde Nathaniel Grayson, 46, be taken to George County Circuit Court and …

Attorney: Dismiss Mississippi inmate’s request for execution
3 years, 3 months ago

Attorney: Dismiss Mississippi inmate’s request for execution

Associated Press  

— An attorney for a Mississippi inmate is asking the state Supreme Court to dismiss the inmate’s request for an execution date. He said in a handwritten letter to justices last week: “I ask to see that my execution should be carried out forthwith.” Attorney David Voisin submitted a separate letter Tuesday telling justices that Grayson still has an appeal …

Another Mississippi inmate asks state to set execution date
3 years, 3 months ago

Another Mississippi inmate asks state to set execution date

Associated Press  

— A Mississippi death row inmate says he wants the state to start planning his execution — a request that comes weeks after another Mississippi prisoner surrendered appeals and was put to death. “I ask to see that my execution should be carried out forthwith,” Blayde Nathaniel Grayson said in a handwritten letter filed Friday with the state Supreme Court. …

Oklahoma seeks execution dates for 7 death-row inmates
3 years, 7 months ago

Oklahoma seeks execution dates for 7 death-row inmates

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Oklahoma’s new attorney general filed …

Appeals court vacates order delaying woman's execution
4 years, 2 months ago

Appeals court vacates order delaying woman's execution

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Tennessee inmate’s execution put on hold due to COVID-19
4 years, 3 months ago

Tennessee inmate’s execution put on hold due to COVID-19

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday indefinitely postponed the execution of death row inmate Byron Black. In a brief order issued on Thursday, the court wrote that Black’s execution is stayed pending a further order by the court “because of the multiple issues caused by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.” Black was convicted by a Nashville court of …

Tennessee Supreme Court delays 2nd execution due to pandemic
4 years, 9 months ago

Tennessee Supreme Court delays 2nd execution due to pandemic

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday issued a stay of execution for a second death row inmate because of the coronavirus pandemic. “The stay in Mr. Black’s case was absolutely necessary.” Tennessee’s attorney general opposed Black’s motion to delay his execution. Attorney General Herbert Slatery wrote in Supreme Court filings that attorneys for Black and another inmate …

Tennessee delays June execution due to coronavirus
4 years, 11 months ago

Tennessee delays June execution due to coronavirus

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Supreme Court on Friday postponed the scheduled execution of a death row prisoner by eight months because of the coronavirus. In asking for the delay last month, Smith’s attorneys said they had lost critical time to work on his case due to the restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Attorney General …

Supreme Court says the execution of Alabama inmate can go forward hours after it was called off
5 years, 11 months ago

Supreme Court says the execution of Alabama inmate can go forward hours after it was called off

CNN  

CNN — The Supreme Court said early Friday that the execution of Alabama death row inmate Christopher Lee Price can go forward in the fourth major death penalty case this year that has justices feuding openly. In the unsigned order, the majority said that death row inmates in Alabama had the choice back in 2018 to elect to “be executed …

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’
6 years, 5 months ago

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’

Live Law  

“The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- “The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, once again, dissented with SCOTUS that denied a stay …

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’
6 years, 5 months ago

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’

Live Law  

“The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- “The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, once again, dissented with SCOTUS that denied a stay …

Documents: Georgia officials indecisive about execution
10 years ago

Documents: Georgia officials indecisive about execution

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia officials were indecisive about whether to proceed with a cloudy lethal injection drug, at one point saying they weren’t sure whether they checked “this week’s or last week’s” batch, according to a court filing. Attorneys for Gissendaner said in a filing with the U.S. Supreme Court that a lawyer for the state called them around 10:25 p.m. …

Death Row Inmate Whose Lawyers Missed The Appeal Date Gets Another Chance
10 years, 2 months ago

Death Row Inmate Whose Lawyers Missed The Appeal Date Gets Another Chance

NPR  

Death Row Inmate Whose Lawyers Missed The Appeal Date Gets Another Chance The U.S. Supreme Court has taken the rare step of reversing the lower courts in a death penalty case and, for all practical purposes, giving the defendant a chance to have his conviction and death sentence reviewed by the federal courts. By 2014, the Missouri Supreme Court was …

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