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Clemency hearing set for Georgia man set to die next week

This undated photo provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections on Wednesday, Oct. 12. 2016, shows death row inmate Gregory Paul Lawler. Convicted of killing an Atlanta Police Officer John Sowa in 1997, he is scheduled to be executed in Oct. 19, 2016, according to Attorney General Sam Olens. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP) This undated photo provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections on Wednesday, Oct. 12. 2016, shows death row inmate Gregory Paul Lawler. Convicted of killing an Atlanta Police Officer John Sowa in 1997, he is scheduled to be executed in Oct. 19, 2016, according to Attorney General Sam Olens. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

By Associated Press October 12, 2016 1 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has scheduled a clemency hearing for a man who’s scheduled for execution next week.

Gregory Paul Lawler is scheduled to be put to death on Oct. 19 at the state prison in Jackson. The parole board set a hearing at 9 a.m. on Oct. 18 to hear from representatives for Lawler.

The 63-year-old was convicted of murder in the October 1997 shooting death of Atlanta police Officer John Sowa. Authorities say Lawler also critically injured Officer Patricia Cocciolone.

Prosecutors say Lawler shot the officers as they tried to bring his intoxicated girlfriend home. Officers who arrived after Cocciolone sent a distress call had a six-hour standoff with Lawler before persuading him to surrender.

Lawler would be the seventh Georgia inmate executed this year.