Stays of Execution in 2010

January

8

SC

Quincy Allen

To allow time for more appeals.

February

1

NV

Robert Lee McConnell

To allow time to hear federal appeals

12

WY

Dale Wayne Eaton

To allow time to hear federal appeals

18

AL

Robert Bryant Melson

Pending out­come of a sim­i­lar appeal in Florida

23

GA

Melbert Ray Ford Jr.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles only has four of its required five mem­bers cur­rent­ly; exe­cu­tion stayed for at least 90 days. Ford was exe­cut­ed on June 9, 2010.

24

TX

Hank Skinner

Clerical error made by court in set­ting the execution date

March

9

FL

David Johnston

Florida Supreme Court issued a stay to hold a hear­ing to deter­mine whether or not the defen­dant is mentally retarded.

9

OH

Lawrence Reynolds

Granted 7‑day reprieve after being found uncon­scious in his cell. Reynolds was exe­cut­ed on March 16.

16

AR

Jack Harold Jones Jr.

To allow time to hear a chal­lenge to the state’s execution procedure.

16

PA

Angel Diaz

Diaz reversed his deci­sion to waive his appeals

18

PA

Richard Scott Baumhammers

To allow time to hear federal appeals.

24

TX

Hank Skinner

The Supreme Court of the United States grant­ed a stay to allow more time to hear Skinner’s peti­tion. Cert. was grant­ed and case will be argued in Oct. 2010.

April

8

OK

Richard Smith

Granted clemen­cy

12

AR

Don William Davis

Stayed in order to hear a chal­lenge on whether the Legislature prop­er­ly left exe­cu­tion poli­cies in the hands of prison officials

22

PA

Shonda Walter

To allow time to pre­pare court filings

May

4

AR

Stacey Eugene Johnson

Related to chal­lenges to state’s execution procedures

20

TX

Richard Lee Tabler

Granted stay to pro­vide time to hear habeas petition.

24

AR

Jack Harold Jones Jr.

To allow time to hear a chal­lenge to the state’s execution procedure.

June

10

OH

Richard Nields

Granted clemen­cy due to prob­lems with tri­al tes­ti­mo­ny (Read more)

17

OK

Jeffrey Matthews

Execution resched­uled to July 20 to allow time for offi­cials to review evi­dence; Update: Stayed fur­ther (until Aug. 17) to allow more time for review

30

TX

Jonathan Green

Stayed to review stan­dards used to deter­mine men­tal com­pe­tence to be executed

August

16

NV

Tamir Hamilton

Stayed to allow more time for ordinary appeals.

17

PA

James VanDivner

Stayed to allow more time for appeals.

17

OK

Jeffrey Matthews

Stayed by fed­er­al court until Oct. 16 because state pro­posed to sub­sti­tute one of the drugs used in lethal injection

18

PA

Anthony Fletcher

Stayed to allow more time for appeals.

19

PA

Dennis Miller

Stayed to allow more time for appeals.

24

PA

Bryan Galvin

Stayed to allow more time for appeals.

September

14

PA

Anthony Dick

Stayed to allow more time for appeals.

15

OH

Kevin Keith

Gov. Ted Strickland com­mut­ed his sen­tence to life without parole.

16

KY

Gregory Wilson

County cir­cuit judge found that KY lethal injec­tion pro­to­col is incon­sis­tent with state law and does not pro­vide safe­guards to pre­vent the exe­cu­tion of the intel­lec­tu­al­ly dis­abled or crim­i­nal­ly insane. (The Dayton Daily News, September 10, 2010).

21, 24

GA

Brandon Rhode

Stayed to con­duct men­tal com­pe­ten­cy tests after a sui­cide attempt; resched­uled for Sept. 25; stayed a sec­ond time until Sept. 27. Rhode was exe­cut­ed on Sept. 27.

28

TN

Gaile Owens

Governor Phil Bredesen com­mut­ed the sen­tence of Gaile Owens to life in prison based part­ly on a plea bar­gain offer that was lat­er rescind­ed, and part­ly to make the sen­tence con­sis­tent with ver­dicts deliv­ered in sim­i­lar cas­es in Tennessee. (The Tenneseean, July 14, 2010).

29

CA

Albert Brown

Gov. Schwartzenegger grant­ed a one-day (up to 45 hrs.) reprieve from 12:01 AM on Sept. 29 until 9:00 PM on Sept. 30 to allow more time for appeals on the method of exe­cu­tion. U.S. Dist. Ct. Judge Fogel stayed the exe­cu­tion fur­ther to allow time to review the state’s new exe­cu­tion pro­to­col and for the sup­ply of a lethal injec­tion drug to be renewed. The state Supreme Court said that review of new exe­cu­tion pro­to­cols did not have to be com­plet­ed before the state’s sup­ply of lethal injec­tion drugs expired, thus fur­ther insur­ing a stay of exe­cu­tions until 2011.

October

14

TX

Gayland Bradford

Stayed by Justice Antonin Scalia to give Bradford’s lawyers more time to file a full appeal on the con­sti­tu­tion­al issues sur­round­ing his con­vic­tion and sen­tence based on claims that Bradford is mentally disabled.

16

OK

Jeffrey Matthews

Federal District Court judge cit­ed the utter con­fu­sion on the part of the state in decid­ing which seda­tive drug to use as part of the lethal injec­tion. Matthews stay was con­tin­ued until Nov. 20, at which time a new date might be set.

20

MO

Roderick Nunley

Federal District Court issued a stay to decide if Nunley was enti­tled to a jury for sen­tenc­ing. State is appeal­ing the stay.

26

AZ

Jeffrey Landrigan

Federal Judge stayed the exe­cu­tion to allow time to exam­ine the source of the lethal injec­tion drugs. The U.S. Supreme Court lift­ed the stay and Landrigan was exe­cut­ed on Oct. 26.

November

9

TN

Stephen West

Granted tem­po­rary stay through November 30 to address claims against Tennessee’s lethal injec­tion pro­ce­dure. UPDATE: TN Sup. Ct. approved lethal injec­tion pro­ce­dure, allow­ing exe­cu­tion on Nov. 30. UPDATE: TN Sup. Ct. stayed exe­cu­tion to allow attor­neys time to respond to new lethal injection procedures.

16

OH

Sidney Cornwell

Granted clemen­cy.

19

SC

James Robertson

Sayed to allow time to file peti­tion of habeas corpus.

December

1

TX

Steven Staley

State District Judge Wayne Salvant stayed exe­cu­tion to allow time to deter­mine men­tal com­pe­ten­cy for execution.

7

TN

Billy Irick

TN Sup. Ct. stayed exe­cu­tion to allow attor­neys time to respond to new lethal injection procedures.