A federal appeals court has rejected an Arkansas inmate's request for a stay of execution for the rape and killing of a woman more than two decades ago.
Jack Jones Jr. says his lethal injection could be cruel and unusual because he is diabetic and overweight. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request Monday, hours before his scheduled execution.
Jones was convicted of raping and strangling Mary Phillips at a Bald Knob accounting office on June 6, 1995.
He said that while the courts have upheld Arkansas' lethal injection protocol in general, the drugs will have a different impact on him because of his poor health. The court rejected his argument, and also said he should have filed his challenge earlier.
