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Qleap
federal judge delayed the planned execution of an inmate Thursday pending an evaluation to determine if the inmate is able to understand why he is to be put to death.Jeffery Wood was to have been executed Thursday evening for taking part in the 1996 robbery of a convenience store in which a clerk was fatally shot.But U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio granted a request by Wood's attorneys to delay his execution so they could hire a mental health expert to pursue their arguments that he is incompetent to be executed. Texas courts had previously refused similar appeals.Wood's attorneys say he suffers from paranoia and delusions, but the state does not recognize he suffers from mental illness."We applaud the (court) for upholding Jeff Wood's rudimentary due process right to have...
