Court halts another Texas execution over disability claims

Legal Events

A Texas appeals court has delayed a second execution this year to review claims that an inmate is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for the death penalty.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday granted a request by attorneys for Edward Lee Busby to stay his execution, which had been scheduled for Feb. 10.

Busby’s attorneys have argued he has shown “significant limitations in intellectual functioning.”

The U.S, Supreme Court in 2002 barred the execution of intellectually disabled people, but it has given states some discretion to decide how to determine such disabilities.


Busby’s execution would have been the first in the state this year after the appeals court last month delayed the Jan. 21 lethal injection of Blaine Milam to review his intellectual disability claims.

Busby, 48, was condemned for the 2004 suffocation of a retired 77-year-old college professor abducted in Fort Worth and whose body was later recovered in Oklahoma.

Texas’ first execution of 2021 is now set for March 4, with Ramiro Ibarra set to receive a lethal injection for the 1987 sexual assault and strangulation of a 16-year-old girl in Waco.

Related listings

  • Justices rule Muslim men can sue FBI agents over no-fly list

    Justices rule Muslim men can sue FBI agents over no-fly list

    Legal Events 12/11/2020

    A unanimous Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Muslim men who were placed on the government’s no-fly list because they refused to serve as FBI informants can seek to hold federal agents financially liable.The justices continued a string of de...

  • Tory Lanez pleads not guilty in Megan Thee Stallion shooting

    Tory Lanez pleads not guilty in Megan Thee Stallion shooting

    Legal Events 11/20/2020

    Rapper Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty through his attorney Wednesday to felony assault charges in the July shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion. Lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley entered the plea in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to counts of assa...

  • Court allows public nuisance suits against 3 Alabama casinos

    Court allows public nuisance suits against 3 Alabama casinos

    Legal Events 09/26/2020

    Courts in two rural counties were wrong when they dismissed lawsuits filed by the state seeking to have three casinos declared public nuisances, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday.The decision meant the state can resume cases challenging operatio...

The Law Offices of John M. Lynch, LLC - Our goal is to serve you and make your experience a pleasant one

Our firm founder John M. Lynch is a proven trial lawyer with a record of success in state and federal courts. His former service as a police investigator and federal drug task force agent enable him to see a case from all sides. He is routinely hired by other attorneys to assist with criminal cases. His peer recognition is also evident in the recognition that he has earned with Top 100 Trial Lawyers, AV Preeminent Rating and Super Lawyers. He has also been named as one of the Best Attorneys in St. Louis, a Rising Star in Missouri and a Rising Star in Kansas. His unique and broad -based experience has led to unparalleled success that include dismissal of charges, acquittal and markedly beneficial settlements.

Attorney John M. Lynch comes from a strong law enforcement background with a decade of experience as a police investigator and federal drug task force agent. Paired with his legal degree from St. Louis University School of Law, Mr. Lynch provides a unique and candid perspective for people charged with a full range of criminal activities.

Business News

Cook County IL Trucking Lawyers We are one of Cook County's leading Workers’ Compensation firms. Illinois workers’ compensation, transportation lawyers. >> read
Santa Ana, CA Workers' Compensation Lawyers We are one of Orange County’s leading Workers’ Compensation firms. >> read