Stay of execution
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A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgement. In cases where the death penalty has been imposed, a stay of execution may be sought to defer the execution of the convicted person. This may occur in light of new evidence that will exonerate the convicted person, or in attempts to have the sentence commuted to imprisonment. One example of a stay of execution was the James Autry case. Autry was already strapped down to the execution table when the order came to temporarily stop the execution. He was later executed on March 14, 1984.