Georgia death row inmate Stacey Humphreys, 53, has a new execution date set for September 16, nearly 23 years after the brutal murders of two women. The date was confirmed after a prior suspension due to legal conflicts within the parole board.
Humphreys is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p. m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.
His defense team made a last-minute push for a new trial during an appeal hearing Thursday, according to court documents.
Defense attorney Jill Benton reportedly accused a juror from Humphreys’ 2007 trial of extreme misconduct, alleging she hid bias and harassed other jurors. Prosecutor Sabrina Graham dismissed the claims as character assassination, arguing the defense had years to raise the issue.
“The fact that they didn’t get this evidence and bring this claim when they could have, that’s on them,” Graham said, according to FOX5 Atlanta. The judge promised a swift decision on the appeal.
Humphreys was sentenced to death for the 2003 murders of Cynthia Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21, at a real estate office in Cobb County. Reports state he forced the women to strip, demanded their bank PINs, and shot them execution-style. He also reportedly tied underwear around Williams’ neck so tightly it left a ligature mark.
After draining thousands from their accounts, Humphreys was caught following a high-speed chase in Wisconsin. He later claimed he didn’t remember the killings but admitted he fled because he knew he “did it,” according to the Georgia Attorney General’s office.
His last meal request includes barbecue brisket, pork ribs, a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, coleslaw, cornbread, buffalo wings, a meat lover’s pizza, vanilla ice cream, and two lemon-lime sodas. Humphreys is the only inmate scheduled for execution in Georgia this year.
What do you think about the timing of this appeal and the last meal choice?
