Texas and Alabama prepare executions amid legal disputes

In Texas, LeJames Norman, 40, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. Norman was convicted for the 2005 fatal shootings of Samuel Roberts, Tiffani Peacock, and Celso Lopez during an attempted robbery in Edna. He and accomplice Ker’Sean Ramey had targeted the home in search of cocaine but found none. Norman’s execution is the fifth in Texas this year. His co-defendant, Ramey, is scheduled for execution next week.

In Alabama, Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled for execution via lethal injection on Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. Lee was convicted for the 1998 murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a pawn shop robbery. His execution follows a legal battle after a judge blocked a previous attempt to use nitrogen gas, ruling the method unconstitutionally cruel. Lee’s sentence was originally imposed via judicial override after a jury had recommended life imprisonment.

Separately, a judge in Georgia halted the scheduled execution of Stacey Humphreys, 53, who was convicted of killing two real estate agents in 2003. The stay was issued following a late-night legal petition.