JACKSON, Ga. - A state court has declined to halt the execution of a Georgia death row inmate set to die Monday.
A Butts County Superior Court judge Thursday denied requests filed by Warren Lee Hill's lawyer. Lawyer Brian Kammer argued Hill is mentally disabled and shouldn't be executed. Similar requests are pending at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court said Hill has proven an IQ of 70 beyond a reasonable doubt and meets the overall criteria for being mentally disabled by a preponderance of the evidence.
Georgia law requires death row inmates to prove beyond a reasonable doubt they are mentally disabled to avoid execution, and the court said Hill failed to do that.
Hill was serving a life sentence when he was convicted in the 1990 death of a fellow inmate.