Texas is scheduled to carry out the execution of a man convicted in the fatal shootings of three people, while a Georgia judge has temporarily stopped another execution planned for Wednesday. The two cases highlight separate legal proceedings involving death row prisoners in the United States.
LeJames Norman, 40, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. Central Daylight Time on Wednesday at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Meanwhile, Georgia prisoner Stacey Humphreys, 53, has received a court-ordered stay just hours before his planned execution.
Texas Man Faces Execution for 2005 Triple Murder
Norman was sentenced to death for the 2005 killings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38. The three victims were fatally shot inside the home they shared in Edna, a small rural city located approximately 100 miles southwest of Houston.
According to court records, Norman and co-defendant Ker’Sean Ramey believed cocaine was present in the home and intended to rob the occupants. The drugs were never found, and the attempted robbery ended with the deaths of all three victims.
Lopez suffered four gunshot wounds, including three to the back of his head. Peacock was shot twice in the head, while Roberts sustained five gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and head.
Norman was arrested roughly five months after the killings while attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. He later pleaded guilty to capital murder, leaving a jury to determine his punishment.
Ramey was also convicted and sentenced to death. His execution is scheduled for the following week.
Legal Appeals Continue Ahead of Scheduled Execution
Norman’s attorneys have continued seeking legal relief as his execution date approaches. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted Monday against commuting his death sentence or recommending a 90-day reprieve.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals also rejected a request from his lawyers for a stay based on claims involving prosecutorial conduct. His legal team has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.
In 2017, the Supreme Court declined to review an appeal that raised questions about the performance of Norman’s trial attorneys.
If carried out as scheduled, Norman’s execution would be Texas’ fifth of 2026. Georgia, meanwhile, has not carried out an execution this year.
Georgia Execution Delayed by New Survivor Justice Law
In Georgia, Stacey Humphreys’ planned execution was halted late Tuesday by Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning. Humphreys had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the state prison near Jackson.
Humphreys was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in the 2003 deaths of real estate agents Cyndi Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21. The women were working at a model home sales office in Powder Springs, an Atlanta suburb, when they were killed.
Prosecutors said Humphreys entered the sales office, forced the women to provide their bank PINs and shot them. Court filings state that he later withdrew more than $3,000 from their accounts.
The judge’s stay allows Humphreys to seek a resentencing hearing under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, a law signed earlier this year that addresses sentences involving survivors of domestic or child abuse.
His attorneys argue that abuse he experienced contributed to his criminal conduct. The state has disputed whether the law applies to prisoners on death row and may appeal the ruling.
Humphreys’ lawyers have also raised concerns about a juror they allege was biased during jury selection, as well as a potential conflict involving a member of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The Georgia parole board denied clemency Tuesday. However, the court-ordered stay means the execution cannot proceed unless the legal situation changes.
