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| Supreme Court Stays Ala. Execution |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/25/2001 |
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The execution of a man convicted of murder was blocked Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court pending a review of his claim that mentally retarded inmates should not be put to death. Attorneys for the 51-year-old man sought to block his execution until the high court decides in a North Carolina case if it is constitutional to execute the mentally retarded. A ruling in the North Carolina case is expected in the fall. The court blocked the execution of Glenn William Holladay scheduled for 12:01 a.m. Friday, but could lift the stay if it decides not to give Holladay's case a full review. Holladay, described by the state as having an IQ of 69, was to die by electric chair for killing his ex-wife, her boyfriend and a 16-year-old neighbor boy in 1986 after escaping from jail. Justice Anthony Kennedy referred the emergency petition to the full court, which granted the request for a stay hours before Holladay was to die. State prison system spokesman John Hamm said Holladay was saying his goodbyes to about five friends and relatives when word of the stay came in a phone call from his lawyer. Preparations to put him in the electric chair had not begun, Hamm said. Holladay's lawyer, Bryan Stevenson of Montgomery, said the stay could be in effect a month or until next spring. "It's certainly possible they're not going to rule in the case until they decide the issue in the North Carolina case in the next six to seven months,'' Stevenson said. He said Holladay's family was "delighted'' and "grateful that he's going to see another day.'' Prosecutors contend Holladay is "borderline'' mentally retarded. Alabama has no law addressing the execution of the mentally retarded. The state Supreme Court refused to halt the execution Wednesday. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently signed a law making it the 15th state to ban execution of the mentally retarded. Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a similar bill Sunday, saying the state already has numerous safeguards in place. |
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