Watch CBS News

Stay Of Execution Sought After Supreme Court Ruling

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Following a ruling this by the U.S. Supreme Court on the state's death penalty system, a Florida death row inmate has requested a stay of execution from the Florida Supreme Court.

Cary Michael Lambrix, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection February 11th asked for a stay on Wednesday, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's capital-punishment sentencing system.

The U.S. Supreme Court said the state's system is unconstitutional because juries, not judges, should be responsible for imposing the death penalty.

"This (Florida Supreme) Court should grant an immediate and indefinite stay of execution and schedule full briefing so that the implications of the Hurst decision may be conducted in a reasonable manner in this court and not under the circumstances of an active death warrant,'' Lambrix's attorneys wrote in the motion, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Hurst v. Florida.

Attorney General Pam Bondi's office filed a response. They argued against a stay because they said the Hurst ruling did not apply to Lambrix's case.

"While there are certainly pipeline direct appeal cases before this (Florida Supreme) Court which will undoubtedly present weighty questions for this court's determination, this is not one of those cases,'' the response said. "There is simply no reasonable likelihood that Hurst will have any application to Lambrix."

Lambrix was sentenced to death for the 1983 murders of two people after escaping from a work-release detail.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.