Convicted Fort Worth area killer John Hummel’s execution stayed due to coronavirus
Appeals court judges have stayed the execution of a Fort Worth area man who was convicted of capital murder for 60 days because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to published reports.
After rejecting all of John Hummel’s arguments as to why his conviction should be stayed, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted him a 60-day reprieve on Monday “in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that emergency,” according to reporting from the Associated Press.
Hummel, a 44-year-old Kennedale man convicted of fatally stabbing his wife and then beating his father-in-law with a baseball bat before burning down the family home in 2009, was also a suspect in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, but was convicted in the killings of his wife and father-in-law.
During his trial, Tarrant County prosecutors Miles Brissette and Bob Gill maintained that Hummel killed his family so he could be single and pursue a romantic relationship with a woman he had met at a convenience store. They say Hummel beat his pregnant wife with a baseball bat before stabbing her with samurai swords and a medieval dagger.
The stay of execution for Hummel will be lifted after 60 days, at which time Tarrant County court can set a new execution date, a Texas Tribune story said.
Kristin Houle, executive director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said she believes the judges with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals made the correct decision.
“The motion for the stay pointed out that there had been some recent cases on the day of execution because of 9-11 and Hurricane Harvey,” Houle said. “Clearly, we are in unprecedented situation with the global pandemic. I am glad that more reasonable heads prevailed and realized the gross inappropriateness of carrying out an execution in such an unprecedented time in the world.”
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in its argument against granting a stay of execution for Hummel, stated that his motion was filed late, presented no valid argument and said the COVID-19 virus presented no impediment to putting him to death.
“Hummel’s allegations are based solely on speculation about what may or may not occur before or at the time of his execution on March 18, 2020,“ the state’s attorney argued. “If, between now and Hummel’s scheduled execution, COVID-19 causes any insurmountable impediment to the courts or clemency officials deciding Hummel’s pending contentions or to TDCJ carrying out Hummel’s execution, a court could grant him a stay or the governor could grant him a reprieve if either action were warranted.”
This story includes information from Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 9:00 PM.
