A fifth scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate has been delayed because of the coronavirus spread around the state.
Carlos Treviño's execution, which had been set for June 3, was postponed to Sept. 30.
Treviño, 45, was condemned for the 1996 gang rape and fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl in San Antonio.
The execution date was changed on Thursday by state District Judge Jennifer Peña in San Antonio.
While Peña didn’t mention COVID-19 in her order, Treviño’s attorneys had argued “the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable obstacles to adequate legal representation, constitutes a substantial public health risk and demands enormous public resources.”
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office didn’t object to changing the execution date.
Three other executions that had been scheduled this year were delayed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals while another was delayed by a judge in East Texas.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
