Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday he will not intervene in the case of Billy Ray Irick, set to be executed later this week for the murder of a 7-year-old girl in Knox County more than 30 years ago.
Haslam said in a statement that even though Irick requested clemency based upon his mental health status at the time the crime was committed, a mental health expert ruled he was competent to stand trial.
Numerous state and federal courts, including the Tennessee Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court, have reviewed and upheld the verdict on 17 different occasions, 11 of which were after additional evidence came to light about Irick’s behavior in the weeks leading up to the murder.
Earlier on Monday, Tennessee’s Supreme Court refused to stay Irick’s execution while the state’s lethal injection protocol continues to be challenged on appeal.
Irick is scheduled to be executed Thursday in the 1985 rape and murder of 7-year-old Paula Dyer. Irick would be the first inmate Tennessee has executed since 2009.
Haslam Will Not Intervene in Irick Case
Aug 8, 2018 | 5:00 AM