CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — The scheduled execution of a Georgia death row inmate has been delayed, a development that will likely postpone a planned silent vigil in downtown Clarkesville.
Stacey Humphreys, 52, had been scheduled for execution on Dec. 17 for the 2003 murders of two women in Cobb County. On Monday, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles announced that the execution has been suspended, effectively halting the process for now.
Humphreys was convicted of fatally shooting 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown at a Cobb County real estate office. His execution date was set earlier this month following a ruling by a federal judge allowing the sentence to move forward.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles had planned to hold a clemency hearing on Dec. 16, one day before the execution. That hearing has now been postponed “until further notice,” according to the board. At such a hearing, board members would consider testimony for or against clemency and could choose to commute the death sentence, issue a stay, or deny relief altogether.
In Georgia, the Board of Pardons and Paroles is the only authority with the power to grant executive clemency to a condemned inmate.
The delay also affects a silent vigil that had been planned for Dec. 17 at the gazebo on the Clarkesville Square. Organizers have said the vigil was intended to coincide with the final hours before the execution. With the execution now suspended, the timing of the vigil is expected to change, though organizers have not yet announced a new date.
Habersham News will continue to follow developments in the case and provide updates regarding both the status of the execution and any rescheduled vigil in Clarkesville.
