A death row inmate in the US state of Georgia had his execution dramatically suspended just days after ordering his last meal. Stacey Humphreys, 52, was due to be put to death by lethal injection today for the murders of two real estate agents in 2003.
Humphreys had been convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and kidnapping with bodily injury for the deaths of Cyndi Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21. Believing his days were numbered, he ordered an indulgent final meal including barbecue beef brisket, pork ribs, a bacon double cheeseburger, chips, coleslaw, cornbread, buffalo wings and a meat lover's pan pizza, along with two lemon and lime fizzy drinks and a vanilla ice cream.
However, the execution was put on hold after a decision by Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday. Humphreys' lawyers argued that two members of the board had potential conflicts of interest due to previous ties to him, and called for a 90-day halt to clemency proceedings to allow Governor Brian Kemp to replace them.
A clemency petition filed by the non-profit Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty cited 'profound irregularities that occurred inside the jury room' during Humphreys' trial. The petition stated: 'The Board has the unique authority to correct what the courts could not: a death sentence that emerged only after a coerced breakdown of deliberations, not through a lawful or unanimous jury decision.'
Humphreys was convicted of shooting the two women in the back of the head after forcing them to remove their clothes and reveal their bank PIN numbers. He then withdrew more than $3,000 from their accounts. He has been on death row since September 2007. If he is not executed by December 24, the state will need to seek a new warrant.
