RICHMOND, Va., June 8 (UPI) -- The governor of Virginia postponed an execution Thursday because of questions about whether an admitted killer of three people is mentally competent.
Gov. Timothy Kaine, a Democrat, opposes the death penalty. As governor, he has allowed one execution to proceed.
In the case of Percy Levar Walton, who pleaded guilty in 1997, Kaine did not grant clemency. He said he would conduct an independent investigation before making a final decision, The Washington Post reported.
"It would be imprudent to either proceed with the execution or grant clemency without further review," Kaine said.
Former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, a Republican who lost the governor's race to Kaine, blasted the delay.
"That just defeats the entire judicial process," Kilgore said. "A jury determined the case. They had many appeals in court after court."
Jennifer Givens, Walton's lawyer, described her client as mentally ill and said he has an IQ of 66. She said she believes Kaine will commute the death sentence.
