The Arkansas Supreme Court has reissued its order that halted the execution of one of the first inmates facing lethal injection under the state's multiple execution plan.
The reissued order Monday clarifies that three of the four justices would have denied the request for a stay for Bruce Earl Ward. The court has not ruled on the state's request to reconsider that stay.
Ward was convicted of killing a convenience store clerk. He had been scheduled to die Monday night under the state's plan to put eight inmates to death before the end of the month.
A separate federal court ruling has halted all of the executions. Ward's attorneys say he's a diagnosed schizophrenic with no rational understanding of his impending execution.
A spokesman for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge says she's evaluating options on how to proceed.
