Death Penalty
Planned Ga. Execution Tonight is First Since Moratorium Ended
Posted May 6, 2008, 10:24 am CDT
By Martha Neil
Updated: The planned execution tonight of a Georgia man is the first since a de facto moratorium on capital punishment ended last month with a U.S. Supreme Court rejection of a Kentucky case that contended the lethal injections commonly used there and in other states are cruel and unusual punishment.
William Earl Lynd is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at 7 p.m. CT in a Jackson prison. He was convicted of shooting his girlfriend to death in December 1988 and is accused, but never charged, in another woman's death, reports Reuters.
The Georgia Supreme Court today denied Lynd's lawyers' request for a stay of execution to consider new forensic evidence, and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles also rejected Lynd's bid for clemency, the Associated Press reported.
If his execution proceeds tonight as planned, he will be the 1,100th person executed since the Supreme Court lifted a temporary ban on imposing the death penalty in 1976, according to the news agency.
Related coverage:
CNN: "Georgia killer's clemency plea falls short"
Associated Press: "Ga. board denied killer's clemency bid"
ABAJournal.com: "Supreme Court Lifts Execution Stays"
ABAJournal.com: "Supreme Court Upholds Lethal Injection"
ABAJournal.com: "Death Penalty Opponents See Litigation Roadmap in Lethal Injection Decision"
Updated at 4:20 p.m. to indicate Lynd's denied bids for parole and clemency.
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