Texas carried out an execution on Wednesday, September 16, after a death-row inmate was put to death for his role in the killing of three people. In a separate case, a Georgia judge halted another scheduled execution, giving the inmate’s lawyers an opportunity to pursue a new sentencing review.
The developments highlight two different outcomes in the US death penalty system, with one execution proceeding at a Texas prison and another facing a legal delay in Georgia.
Texas Executes LeJames Norman in Triple Murder Case
LeJames Norman, 40, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. The execution involved pentobarbital, a sedative used in the state’s lethal injection process.
Norman had been sentenced to death for the 2005 killings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38. The three victims were found dead inside the home they shared in a rural Texas community.
Prosecutors said Norman and an accomplice had targeted the residence in an attempted robbery. Norman was later arrested while trying to cross back into the United States from Mexico.
His execution marked Texas’ fifth death penalty carried out this year. The state remains among the most active jurisdictions in the country when it comes to capital punishment.
Georgia Judge Stops Scheduled Execution
Meanwhile, a scheduled execution in Georgia was stopped after a judge intervened late Tuesday.
Stacey Humphreys, 53, had been due to receive a lethal injection at a state prison near Jackson, Georgia, on Wednesday evening. He was convicted of murdering Cyndi Williams, 33, and Lori Brown, 21, in 2003.
Humphreys’ attorneys filed a petition seeking a new sentencing review under a Georgia law that allows certain victims of abuse to request reconsideration of their sentences. The legal filing argues that abuse Humphreys allegedly experienced could be relevant to his punishment.
The judge’s decision means the execution will not proceed as originally scheduled while the legal challenge is considered.
Different Outcomes in US Death Penalty Cases
Texas and Georgia have taken different paths in the latest execution cases. Texas completed its fifth execution of the year, while Georgia has not carried out an execution in 2026 so far.
The developments come as capital punishment continues to be carried out in several US states. Florida has conducted more executions than any other state this year, accounting for more than half of the 25 executions reported nationwide at the time of the Texas and Georgia cases.
The two cases also show how legal petitions and sentencing laws can affect the timing of executions. While Norman’s death sentence was carried out, Humphreys’ case remains subject to further court proceedings.
