A Georgia judge has issued a stay of execution for Stacey Humphreys, 53, who was scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT for the 2003 murders of two real estate agents, 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown.
The stay was granted by Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning late Tuesday, pending a hearing under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, a law signed this year by Gov. Brian Kemp. The law allows judges to reconsider sentences for incarcerated individuals who can demonstrate a connection between their crimes and abuse they suffered.
Humphreys’ execution was halted to determine whether he qualifies for resentencing under the new legislation. His legal team has argued that his history of severe family violence and childhood abuse contributed significantly to his criminal behavior. During a hearing Tuesday, Humphreys’ lawyer, Brian Kammer, told the court that his client was “severely damaged” by the abuse and that it played a role in the crimes for which he was convicted.
The state attorney general’s office opposed the stay, stating it intended to appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court if the execution was delayed. Judge Browning noted in his ruling that if an appellate court determines Humphreys is not entitled to a hearing before the scheduled execution time, he would consider lifting the stay to allow the sentence to proceed.
A Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Humphreys clemency on Tuesday, according to reports from CBS News Atlanta. His execution had previously been delayed due to questions over the clemency process.
Concurrently, Texas proceeded with its own execution schedule. LeJames Norman, 40, was executed on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CDT in Huntsville for the 2005 fatal shootings of three people during a robbery. Norman’s case did not involve the application of a survivor justice law, and his execution proceeded as planned.
The Georgia case marks the first time the Survivor Justice Act has been invoked to delay an execution. The law directs judges to resentence individuals if they can establish a link between their crimes and prior abuse. Judge Browning acknowledged in his ruling that while the law may have been intended for abuse survivors who commit crimes against their abusers, the language does not explicitly limit its application to such cases.
The legal maneuvering in Humphreys’ case reflects broader debates over the death penalty, clemency, and the role of trauma in criminal sentencing. The outcome of the upcoming hearing could set a precedent for how the Survivor Justice Act is applied in future cases involving incarcerated individuals with histories of abuse.