16 November 2007 :
The U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of convicted child killer Mark Dean Schwab, hours before he was scheduled to die.The move by the high court was widely expected as it considers the appeals of two Kentucky inmates challenging the same lethal three-drug combination used in Florida.
The court has blocked executions in three other states since accepting the Kentucky case Sept. 25.
The state Attorney General Bill McCollum's office said it would not challenge the court's decision.
Schwab was sentenced to death for the murder of 11-year-old Junny Rios-Martinez. Schwab's execution was to be the first in Florida since the botched execution of Angel Diaz on Dec. 13. It took 34 minutes for Diaz to die — twice as long as normal — because the guards pushed the needles through his veins.
(Sources: Ap, 15/11/2007)