News Brief — Texas Court Stays Second Execution As a Result of Coronavirus Health Crisis

NEWS (3/19/20): Texas — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has for a second time delayed an impending execution because of the coronavirus health crisis. On March 19, the court issued a 60-day stay of execution to Tracy Beatty, whom the state had scheduled for execution on March 25.

The court wrote: “We have determined that the execution should be stayed at the present time in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that emergency.” The stay will expire after the 60-day period, but prosecutors will have to seek a new death warrant before Beatty’s execution can be rescheduled.