JURIST - Paper Chase: UPDATE ~ First New England execution in 45 years put on hold

[JURIST] Updating an earlier JURIST story, Connecticut has postponed Monday's scheduled execution of convicted serial killer Michael Ross [About.com profile], putting off what would be New England's first execution in 45 years after Ross' attorney filed a motion questioning the killer's competency [JURIST post]. The execution is delayed for at least a month after Ross, who had asked an attorney to expedite his death, agreed to an mental evaluation after admitting that he may be mentally incompetent. The rescheduling of the execution will depend upon the results of the competency hearing. Ross, 45, admitted to killing eight women in the 1980s, and last year waived his remaining appeals, seeking to speed up his death and thereby give closure to his victims' families. Before agreeing to the mental evaluation, Ross had fought efforts by his attorneys and his father to have him declared incompetent to waive the appeals, and the execution has been delayed several times in recent weeks. Reuters has more.

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