Death Row Inmate Asks for Stay of Execution Due to His Age at Time of Crime

An Alabama man facing execution for his role in the 1997 slayings of four people has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay, arguing it should weigh the fact that he was 19 then.

Attorneys for Michael Brandon recently filed the request to stay the scheduled May 16 execution.

The court has barred executing anyone under 18 at the time of their crimes. Samra’s attorneys asked the court to weigh whether brain development and evolving standards of decency merit extending that age to 21.

Samra was convicted of helping friend Mark Duke kill Duke’s father, the father’s girlfriend and her 6- and 7-year-old daughters in Alabama’s Shelby County. Authorities said Samra killed the 7-year-old and Duke the others.

Duke’s death sentence was reversed because he was 16.

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