Pvt. Ronald A. Gray granted a stay in his execution

Judge stays soldier’s execution

A U.S. district court judge has granted a stay in the execution of Pvt. Ronald A. Gray, a move that likely will delay the first military execution since 1961.

The execution was scheduled for Dec. 10 at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind. However, the order from Judge Richard Rogers, dated Nov. 26, stays the execution to allow Gray and his attorneys to file a habeas corpus petition.

The stay of execution will remain in place until further order from the court, according to a copy of the judge’s order.

Gray was convicted of multiple murders and rapes in the late 1980s in the Fayetteville, N.C., area. At the time, Gray was a specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The court-martial panel that convicted Gray sentenced him to death in 1988. On July 28, 2008, President Bush approved the order to execute Gray, the longest-serving inmate on the military’s death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

It was the first time a president had approved a military death sentence since 1957, and the decision came after the nation’s highest courts upheld Gray’s conviction and death sentence, and two petitions to the Supreme Court during the appellate process had been denied.

I had high hopes when we finally elected a President with the balls to sign the order but remarked at the time the date was set if it wasn't done by Jan 20th, 2009 it wouldn't happen. We can only hope this is resolved by then but I am not hopeful. For 20 years these families have waited for justice.