(Atlanta Journal Constitution)
July 15, 2013
ATLANTA, GEORGIA– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion daily Express] A Fulton County judge on Monday granted condemned inmate Warren Hill a temporary stay of execution to give her more time to consider a new state law that shields the identities of those who make and supply Georgia’s lethal-injection drugs.
Superior Court Judge Gail Tusan issued the stay — the third Hill has been granted over the past year — just four hours before his execution was to be carried out at 7 p.m.
“For the court and the public, it is a big issue,” Tusan said of the state’s capital punishment procedure. She scheduled another hearing for Thursday after state attorneys told her the warrant that orders Hill’s execution expires on Saturday at noon.
Hill’s case has attracted international attention because three state experts who previously testified Hill was faking mental retardation have come forward over the past year to say they were mistaken. They said an improved understanding of mental disabilities has led them to believe Hill is mildly mentally retarded, which would make him ineligible for execution.
Hill recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider his mental retardation claims, but it was Tusan who stepped in on Monday and granted him at least a temporary reprieve. The high court’s justices had said they would consider Hill’s petition in September, and it remains unclear what action they will take if Hill’s execution is rescheduled before then.
Entire article:
Fulton judge stays Warren Hill’s execution
http://tinyurl.com/ide0715131a
Related:
Disability advocates fight for change in death penalty law as Hill execution approaches (Athens Banner-Herald)
http://tinyurl.com/ide0715131c
Statement on Georgia Prisoner Warren Hill’s Scheduled Execution (American Civil Liberties Union)
http://tinyurl.com/ide0715131b
The Death Penalty and Mental Retardation (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/laws/deathpenalty.htm
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