1 lives, 1 dies: Georgia inmate wins last-minute reprieve as Texas carries out execution

A Georgia death row inmate won a last-minute reprieve from execution for the second time in less than a year on the same day that Texas put a man to death for killing three people in 2005.

Stacey Humphreys, 53, had been set to die by lethal injection on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at roughly the same time that Texas carried out another execution. But less than 24 hours before Humphreys was set to die, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning issued a stay of execution for Humphreys over a new state law that allows some inmates to seek reduced sentences if past abuse they suffered was "a significant contributing factor" to their crime.

Browning's ruling, obtained by USA TODAY after it came down late Tuesday, did not discuss the merits of Humphreys' arguments but agreed with defense attorneys that the issue deserves a day in court. On Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court allowed Browning's ruling to stand pending a hearing about the new law and how it may apply to Humphreys.

Humphreys was convicted of the 2003 murders of two real estate agents, 21-year-old Lori Brown and 33-year-old Cyndi Williams in the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs. Humphreys forced…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/