Connecticut officials put off New England's first execution in 45 years today after serial killer Michael Ross changed his mind and admitted he may be mentally incompetent.
His attorney, Mr T.R. Paulding, filed a motion in federal court in Hartford seeking a stay of the execution, which was scheduled for this evening, and asking for a new hearing to assess the killer's competency.
The motion capped a dramatic 72-hour period that saw Ross come within 90 minutes of being executed early on Saturday, only to have Mr Paulding ask for a delay, citing a potential conflict of interest.
Connecticut officials announced that Ross' execution, which had been rescheduled for tonight was postponed again because of the motion.
Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano said it was too soon to speculate when the state would seek to reschedule the execution because it would hinge on the outcome of the competency hearing.
Ross (45) admitted killing eight women in the 1980s and was arrested in 1984 after a three-year spree of rapes and murders. Last year, he waived all remaining appeals, saying he wanted to be put to death to give closure to his victims' families.
Third parties, including his father and Connecticut public defenders, sought to have his execution delayed on the grounds he was not competent to waive his appeals.
The Cornell University-educated Ross fought those efforts in court and had argued he was fully competent to forgo his appeal.
The motion filed today suggested he had changed his mind. "At this time, Michael Ross is willing to acknowledge that an additional assessment of his competency ... is both merited, and necessary, before he is permitted to forgo his appeals and be executed by the State of Connecticut," the motion said.
Ross' looming execution has sparked much public debate in the Northeast United States, where executions are rare. Most executions in the US take place in Southern states.