The Missouri Supreme Court has lifted is execution order for Kimber Edwards, who was sentenced to die by lethal injection in May.
Edwards, 50, is a former St. Louis City jailer who in 2000 hired one or two people to kill his ex-wife to whom he owed a year’s worth of child support. The court two weeks ago set his execution to happen between 6 p.m. May 12 and 5:59 May 13 at the prison in Bonne Terre, but on Wednesday issued an order lifting that execution warrant.
The Court does not offer an explanation for its action, however Edwards’ attorneys responded on the day his execution was scheduled asking for a stay on the grounds that both have other clients with pending court proceedings that would conflict with their being able to work on his case leading up to May 12.
Missouri is scheduled to next week carry out the execution of 52-year-old Andre Cole for the murder of a friend of his ex-wife in a dispute over child support. His execution is scheduled to happen within a 24-hour period beginning at 6 p.m. April 14.
Earlier story: Execution date set in murder-for-hire killing from 2000