A Cobb County Superior Court judge has stayed the scheduled execution of Stacey Humphreys to allow for a hearing under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act. Judge Tyler Browning ruled that Humphreys, 53, is entitled to a hearing to determine if his death sentence should be reduced based on a history of childhood abuse. The execution had been scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the state prison near Jackson.
The stay was granted under a new state law that permits judges to resentence incarcerated individuals or impose shorter penalties if a defendant can demonstrate that their crimes were tied to abuse they suffered. Humphreys was convicted of malice murder in the 2003 shooting deaths of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown, two real estate agents working in Powder Springs, Georgia.
During a hearing Tuesday, defense attorney Brian Kammer stated that Humphreys was a survivor of "severe family violence and childhood abuse," which he argued contributed to his criminal behavior. State attorneys informed the court they intended to appeal the stay immediately to maintain the Wednesday evening execution time. Judge Browning noted that if an appellate court rules against Humphreys before the scheduled time, he would consider lifting the stay.
Separately, the state parole board denied clemency for Humphreys on Tuesday. According to trial evidence, Humphreys entered a model home sales office in November 2003, forced the two victims to strip naked, and obtained their bank PINs before killing them. He withdrew more than $3,000 from their bank accounts and later told police he needed money for a payment on his truck. Humphreys was arrested in Wisconsin following a high-speed chase after police attempted to question him at his Dunwoody home.
The scale of the impact involves the Georgia Department of Corrections and the state's judicial system, as it establishes how the new law will be applied to capital cases. While the exact number of inmates eligible for such hearings statewide was not reported, the law applies to any person in prison who can demonstrate a link between their crime and prior abuse. For the families of the victims, Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown, the ruling represents a delay in a case that has spanned more than two decades since the 2003 murders.
The concrete change for those affected is a stay of legal proceedings, which halts the execution process until a judge evaluates the evidence of abuse. If the hearing proceeds, the court will weigh the evidence of Humphreys' childhood trauma. What happens next depends on the appellate court's response to the state's appeal; if the stay is upheld, an evidentiary hearing will be scheduled to determine if Humphreys qualifies for a sentence reduction under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act.