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| Mentally Ill Inmate Execution Halted |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/08/2002 |
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The Supreme Court Wednesday night blocked the execution of a convicted killer following a last-minute appeal that questioned his mental competency. The appeal was received at 5:59 p.m., one minute before James Colburn could have been taken from his cell and strapped to the death chamber gurney, officials said. It was Colburn's second appeal to the Supreme Court in as many days. The justices Tuesday rejected an appeal that contended Colburn, 42, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, unfairly could not assist his lawyers at his 1995 trial because he was so heavily sedated. In a brief statement, the Supreme Court said the latest appeal went to Justice Antonin Scalia, who then referred it to the full nine-member court, as is routine. The action delays the execution at least 30 days. 'It was a relief,' Colburn said as he was removed from a holding cell for the return trip to death row. 'It was a blessing from God. I was relieved for my family.' The Supreme Court declared in June that executing mentally retarded murderers is unconstitutionally cruel. Justices have refused blanket protection for mentally ill people. Colburn was convicted in the slaying of Peggy Louise Murphy, a 55-year-old hitchhiker. He invited her into his house, tried to rape her, then choked and stabbed her. 'I knew what I was doing when I killed her. When I laid her on the bed, something snapped,' Colburn has said. When he realized she was dead, he turned himself in, he said. |
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