Alabama Supreme Court stays execution
Court Alerts
The Alabama Supreme Court postponed executing a man after an inmate claimed in an sworn statement to defense attorneys that he committed the murder that sent the condemned man to death row.
The justices in a 5-4 vote late Wednesday stopped the execution by injection of Thomas Arthur "pending further orders of this Court." Arthur, 66, was scheduled to die Thursday, more than 26 years after he was convicted of killing Troy Wicker Jr. of Muscle Shoals.
It was the third time Arthur received a stay on the eve of his execution.
"My reaction is we finally look forward to the opportunity to examine fully Mr. Arthur's claim of innocence by assessing witness testimony and DNA evidence," said defense attorney Suhana S. Han. "That is the right result."
State Attorney General Troy King called the stay a serious setback for the prosecution.
"The crimes against Troy Wicker's family continue to compound," he said. "There is a good chance he is going to escape his sentence before all is said and done."
Han said Arthur "was absolutely ecstatic."
"Having to face execution is something that most of us can never really imagine," she said.
Arthur's attorneys sought a stay from the governor and the courts by using Monday's sworn statement by Bobby Ray Gilbert, who claimed he killed Wicker. Gilbert is serving a life sentence for a different murder.
But Wicker's widow, who served 10 years of a life sentence for hiring the killer, told attorney general investigators that she never met Gilbert.
"I hired and paid money to Thomas Arthur, not Bobby Gilbert, to kill Troy Wicker," Judy Wicker said in a statement Monday.
Han said a hearing was needed to assess the credibility of Gilbert and Wicker.
Related listings
-
Court: No bond drop for missing Fla. girl's mom
Court Alerts 07/31/2008A Florida appeals court has denied a bond reduction request from the mother of a missing 2-year-old Orlando girl.Casey Anthony is being held on $500,000 bail on charges of child neglect, making false statements and obstructing an investigation. Polic...
-
2 Ex-Colombian warlords enter pleas in Miami court
Court Alerts 07/30/2008Two former warlords of a far-right Colombian paramilitary group have pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to a drug conspiracy charge.Ramiro Vanoy Murillo, 60, and Javier Lindo, 38, are among 14 paramilitary members who were extradited to the U.S. i...
-
5th Circuit upholds prison terms for border agents
Court Alerts 07/29/2008A federal appeals court has refused to throw out lengthy prison sentences for two U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting an unarmed illegal immigrant and lying about it.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Monday upheld mo...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.