[JURIST] Nevada death row inmate Robert McConnell [advocacy profile] invoked an 11th-hour appeal Thursday night to avoid a scheduled execution at Nevada State Prison [official website], saying he didn't want to die. The former car salesman was sentenced to death for murdering his ex-girlfriend's fiance and told reporters he should have followed through with a plan to murder his ex-girlfriend as well. Deputy Attorney General Gerald Gardner said that McConnell's appeal seemed to be an example of "playing a game with the system." A stay was granted by telephone 34 minutes before the scheduled execution. Nevada's last execution [Nevada capital punishment history] was in August 2004. AP has more. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has local coverage.