Death row inmate files flurry of appeals

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Convicted murderer Tommy Arthur — called the “Houdini” of death row by some after escaping seven prior execution dates — was scheduled to be put to death Thursday evening in Alabama, as his attorneys filed a flurry of last minute appeals.

Arthur, 75, was convicted in the 1982 murder-for-hire slaying of Troy Wicker. Arthur’s lawyers made multiple last-ditch appeals, both in and out of court, seeking to halt the execution originally scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. Late Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay “pending further order” from the justices as they consider Arthur’s request.

Arthur’s lawyers argued that Alabama plans to use an ineffective sedative and Arthur will feel “the chemical equivalent of being burned at the stake.” In a separate filing, they argued that his legal team should have access to a telephone in the witness room in the case the execution goes awry.

Speaking by telephone Monday from a south Alabama prison, Arthur acknowledged his hopes of gaining an eighth reprieve are diminishing. “I’m terrified, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got hope in my legal team,” Arthur told The Associated Press.