Political fundraiser delays murderer's execution a third time

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott has delayed the execution of a death row inmate because it conflicts with a fundraiser for the state's attorney general, officials say.

Marshall Lee Gore, 50, was set to die by lethal injection Tuesday night, the same night Attorney General Pam Bondi has a kickoff reception for her re-election campaign, the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg reported Tuesday.

Gore, who was convicted of killing two women in 1988, was scheduled to die in June, but his execution was twice delayed over questions of his sanity.

Last month, Scott rescheduled Gore's execution for Sept. 10. After Bondi said the date was the same as her campaign kickoff at her South Tampa home, the governor reset Gore's execution for Oct. 1.

On Monday, Scott said he did not know the reason for Bondi's request. "When another Cabinet officer asks for something, we try to work with them," he said.

Bondi apologized for having the execution rescheduled.

"The planned execution of Marshall Lee Gore had already been stayed twice by the courts, and we absolutely should not have requested that the date of the execution be moved," she said.

The Florida attorney general typically telephones the governor shortly before a scheduled execution to tell him there is no legal reason for a delay.