Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

PHOENIX (AP) - A federal appeals court has blocked the scheduled execution of an Arizona death-row inmate for a killing that occurred nearly 35 years ago.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted a request by lawyers for Edward Harold Schad for a stay of the execution that was scheduled for next Wednesday.

Schad's lawyers said the execution should be postponed to give a federal judge time to consider whether Schad was denied effective legal representation after his conviction.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office opposed the request, saying there was no requirement to block the execution because of what's happened in court so far.

Schad was sentenced to be executed for killing 74-year-old Lorimer "Leroy" Grove, of Bisbee, in August 1978. Grove's body was found in Yavapai County.