N.Y. court blocks execution of killer

ALBANY, N.Y., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A New York court Tuesday blocked the execution of John Taylor, who was convicted in the murders of five people at a Queens fast-food restaurant in 2000.

The State Court of Appeals based its ruling on a 2004 decision that the instructions given to juries in capital cases were unconstitutional, The New York Times said.

The Times said the justices had concluded that limiting jurors’ options to choosing a death sentence or life with the possibility of parole could improperly lead juries to recommend execution.

Taylor is the last condemned prisoner in New York. He was placed on death row for his role in the killing of five employees of a Wendy’s in Queens and will be most likely sentenced to life without parole, the Times said.