Family outraged after Georgia high court halts Stacey Humphreys execution
Stacey Humphreys execution remains on hold
The Georgia Supreme Court upheld a stay of execution for convicted murderer Stacey Ian Humphreys. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning ordered the stay to evaluate a petition filed under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Grieving family members expressed anger and disbelief on Wednesday after the Georgia Supreme Court halted the scheduled execution of death-row inmate Stacey Humphreys.
Georgia Supreme Court halts inmate execution
What we know:
Stacey Humphreys was scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Georgia State Prison. A Cobb County judge granted a stay of execution on Tuesday night, and the Georgia Supreme Court upheld that decision on Wednesday following an appeal by prosecutors.
Humphreys was convicted in the 2003 killings of real estate agents Lori Brown and Cynthia Williams inside a Powder Springs subdivision.
Victim family reactions
What they're saying:
Lori Brown’s mother, Linda Brown, spoke out in anger outside the prison after learning her daughter's killer would not be executed as scheduled.
"I'm mad. I'm very mad," Linda Brown said. "I'm at a loss for words. He should be executed. He made that decision that day. He chose that subdivision to go in. He chose those two women to kill. I have no sympathy. His grace with me is up. They're punishing him for a crime he committed. His time is up and the state should do what they promised they were going to do. It's unbelievable."
Lori Brown’s fiancé, Johnnie Tuggle, also rejected the defense's strategy, stating that childhood trauma does not excuse the fatal decisions Humphreys made.
"I don't think that negates the choices he made, the decisions he made in Lori and Cyndi's lives that he took," Tuggle said. "I don't think [it] has any factor in that he still willingly took their lives for no reasons."
Lori Brown and Cynthia Williams
Defense uses new state abuse law
The backstory:
Attorneys for Humphreys requested the stay under a new Georgia law that allows certain defendants to petition for a sentence reduction if they can prove childhood abuse led to their crimes. His legal team argued that he was abused emotionally, physically and sexually as a child. Legal expert Joshua Schiffer says this type of argument has never been tried before in a death-penalty case.
Additional legal evidence pending court review
What we don't know:
It remains unclear if the new legal strategy will successfully reduce Humphreys's sentence. State officials have not announced a future execution date while the legal process moves forward.
Evidence window opens for defense team
What's next:
Humphreys’s attorneys will get 60 days to submit evidence they say shows he was abused as a child. The execution remains on hold while the court considers the defense filings.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from victim family member Linda Brown, legal expert Joshua Schiffer, court records, and reporting by FOX 5 reporter Christopher King.