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Georgia Supreme Court Halts Convicted Murder’s Execution

Ray Jefferson Cromartie’s execution was stayed just eight hours before it was scheduled to happen.

The Georgia Supreme Court stayed the execution of a man convicted of murder just eight hours before he was scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday. According to the Associated Press, 52-year-old Ray Jefferson Cromartie was set to receive a lethal injection at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, but the court stopped the execution after determining the pending “order may be void.” Cromartie is accused of killing one convenience store clerk and seriously injuring another by shooting them both in the head in 1994—though he denies being the shooter. His attorneys asked the court to order DNA testing on the evidence and a new trial, but Southern Judicial Circuit Senior Judge Frank Horkan denied both requests in September. Horkan’s decision was then appealed to the state supreme court. The Georgia Supreme Court explained that Cromartie’s execution order may be void because the appeal is still pending and Cromartie’s case is in their jurisdiction. The execution will reportedly remain on hold until the court determines otherwise.