Judge halts Georgia execution to allow hearing under new survivor justice law

A Georgia judge has halted an execution scheduled for Wednesday. He says Stacey Humphreys is entitled to a hearing under a new state law that allows abuse victims to have their sentences reconsidered. Humphreys was convicted of killing two real estate agents in 2003. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning issued the stay Tuesday. The Georgia Survivor Justice Act was signed this year. It aims to help abuse survivors by letting judges resentence them.

The state argues that the law was not meant for death row inmates. The judge will consider lifting the stay if an appellate court rules against Humphreys.

Read the original report at Apnews.