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Florida Supreme Court Rules Miami Killer Sane Enough For Execution

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) – The Florida Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's ruling that Marshall Lee Gore, accused of killing two women, is indeed sane enough to be executed.

Gore's attorney, Todd Scher, maintains that his client is insane. In his emergency motion, Scher argued that his execution would violate the Eighth Amendment, which forbids the state from carrying out a death sentence against a prisoner who is insane.

In an eight-page ruling released Tuesday, the court wrote that a judge in the Eighth Circuit was correct in finding Marshall Lee Gore competent.

Gov. Rick Scott signed a death warrant for Gore on May 13. Gore had been scheduled to die in July by lethal injection. But a judge halted Gore's execution to consider whether he's mentally ill.

Gore was convicted in the 1988 slaying of Robyn Novick, a 30-year-old exotic dancer. In addition to Novick, Gore also was sentenced to death for the 1988 slaying of Susan Roark.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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