Supreme Court Stays Execution of Vernon Madison

The U.S. Supreme Court says the execution of an Alabama inmate will not go forward Thursday.

A divided court on Thursday evening maintained a stay for Vernon Madison ordered by an appellate court.

Madison was scheduled to be put to death Thursday night for the 1985 shooting death of Mobile police officer Julius Schulte. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted the execution, saying it wanted to review claims that the 65-year-old inmate is mentally incompetent because of strokes and dementia.

The Alabama attorney general’s office unsuccessfully asked the high court to let the execution proceed.

Schulte had responded to a domestic call involving Madison. Prosecutors said Madison later crept up and shot Schulte in the back of the head as he sat in his police car.
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