Georgia prison officials have scheduled the execution of Stacey Humphreys, 53, for 7 p.m. on September 16, marking the state’s first execution in 2025. Humphreys was convicted of malice murder in the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown, two real estate agents in Atlanta’s suburbs. He is set to receive a lethal injection at the state prison near Jackson.
The execution was previously halted in December 2024 after Humphreys’ legal team filed a petition arguing that two members of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles had conflicts of interest and should recuse themselves from reviewing his clemency petition. The petition cited Kimberly McCoy, a parole board member who served as a victim advocate in the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office during Humphreys’ trial, and Wayne Bennett, the sheriff of Glynn County, where the trial was relocated due to pretrial publicity. Bennett was responsible for security for jurors and Humphreys during the case.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney temporarily stayed the execution while considering the petition. In March 2025, McBurney ruled that McCoy must recuse herself due to a “material conflict of interest”, but found that Bennett had little recollection of the trial and did not have a conflict. The judge also denied Humphreys’ request for the governor to appoint a substitute parole board member.
The execution date comes amid ongoing litigation regarding a coronavirus pandemic-related agreement that defense lawyers argue has temporarily shielded many death row residents from execution. The last execution in Georgia occurred in March 2024. Humphreys’ legal team has not indicated whether additional appeals or clemency requests will be filed before the scheduled date.