LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Supreme Court has denied another stay request from a condemned killer facing execution Thursday night.

Justices on Thursday denied the request to halt the planned execution of Ledell Lee. Lee and Stacey Johnson had been scheduled to die Thursday night, but the state canceled plans to execute Johnson in the face of legal challenges. Lee has at least one stay request pending in a federal appeals court.

The ruling was the third stay request for Lee denied by the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday.

Arkansas had scheduled eight executions over an 11-day period before the end of April, when its supply of another lethal injection drug expires. The first three executions were canceled because of court decisions. Legal rulings have put at least one other in doubt.


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