Ga. judge delays execution for more DNA testing
In this undated photo provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections, convicted murderer Marcus Ray Johnson is shown. Johnson is scheduled to be executed Oct. 5, 2011, for the 1994 murder of Angela Sizemore outside an Albany, Ga., night club. Credit: AP
A judge in Georgia has delayed an execution set for Wednesday after the inmate's lawyer asked for more DNA testing.
Marcus Ray Johnson was scheduled to die for the 1994 rape and murder of Angela Sizemore after a nightclub visit.
It would have been the first execution in Georgia since Troy Davis was put to death two weeks ago in a case that garnered international protest because several witnesses disputed their original testimony.
But Dougherty County Superior Court Judge Willie Lockette halted the Johnson execution after hearing several hours of arguments Tuesday.
Johnson's defense attorney Brian Kammer said he was pleased. District Attorney Greg Edwards said he plans to appeal the ruling and is "100 percent sure" that Johnson raped and killed Sizemore.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
