In Huntsville, a mentally ill convicted killer won...

In Huntsville, a mentally ill convicted killer won a reprieve from the U.S. Supreme Court, 2 hours after he could have been put to death, when his attorneys filed a last-minute appeal that questioned his competency.
"The basis for the motion is we did not get an adequate process in state court regarding Mr. Colburn's competency to be executed," James Rytting, one of Colburn's lawyers, said.
Mentally retarded people are protected from the death penalty by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June. The ruling, however, did not extend to those determined to have mental illness.
In his confession to police and in recent interviews with reporters, Colburn, 42, said he was responsible for choking and stabbing to death Peggy Louise Murphy, 55, on June 26, 1994.
Two other condemned Texas killers, Jermarr Arnold and Monte Delk, were executed earlier this year after similar appeals about their mental illness failed.