Circuit Judge Daniel Perry put a hold on Wayne Tompkins'...

Circuit Judge Daniel Perry put a hold on Wayne Tompkins' scheduled death by lethal injection May 1 and ordered a new sentencing hearing. Tompkins, 44, was convicted of strangling Lisa DeCarr, a 15-year-old girl in 1984. But in a last-minute effort to save him, Tompkins' state-appointed attorneys raised 2 crucial questions about the legality of his sentence. First, they said, Coe sentenced Tompkins to the electric chair minutes after a jury convicted him of 1st-degree murder and recommended that he be put to death. Tompkins' attorneys also argued that Coe improperly discussed the case with then-assistant prosecutor Mike Benito without including defense lawyers. That would be an ex-parte communication, which is illegal. Coe, who earned the nickname "Hanging Harry" during his 22 years on the bench, was known for handing out harsh sentences quickly. His decisions were also regularly overturned on appeal, delaying a case's outcome for years. Coe, who left the bench to become Hillsborough County state attorney, committed suicide last year after an investigation revealed many gambling debts.