Georgia sets execution for man convicted of killing doctor
Source: Associated Press
Kate Brumback, Associated Press Updated 4:42 pm, Wednesday, April 26, 2017
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia death-row inmate convicted of killing a 73-year-old doctor 25 years ago is set for execution next month, the state's attorney general said Wednesday. He would be the first inmate executed in the state this year.
J.W. Ledford, 45, is scheduled to die by injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital on May 16 at the state prison in Jackson, Attorney General Chris Carr said in a news release. Ledford was convicted of murder in the slaying of his neighbor, Dr. Harry Johnston, near his home in Murray County, in northwest Georgia.
Attorneys for Ledford have asserted that he is intellectually disabled and, therefore, ineligible for execution. State and federal courts have consistently rejected that argument.
According to a Georgia Supreme Court summary of the case, Ledford went to Johnston's home on Jan. 31, 1992, to ask for a ride to the grocery store. During the drive, the older man accused Ledford of stealing and drove home, Ledford told police.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Georgia-sets-execution-for-man-convicted-of-11100947.php
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