USA - Pennsylvania. Judge Maria Teresa Sarmina granted a stay of execution and a new sentencing hearing to Terrance Williams, 46, black

Philadelphia County Judge Maria Teresa Sarmina granted a stay of execution and a new sentencing hearing to Terrance Williams, 46, black, because the prosecutors suppressed important mitigating evidence. Williams’s execution had been scheduled for October 3. The evidence, which could have been presented at trial, indicated the prosecutors knew that Amos Norwood, Williams’s victim, had been a pedophile who sexually abused Williams. The judge’s decision came a day after the Board of Pardons agreed to reconsider Williams’s clemency plea. On September 17, the state's Board of Pardons failed to reach the unanimous agreement required to recommend clemency. Three members of the five-person panel voted in favor of asking Corbett to consider granting clemency. But the two other board members voted against the petition. Williams’s defense lawyers also argued that the trial prosecutor struck a deal with Marc Draper, Williams’s accomplice, in exchange for Draper’s testimony that the killing occurred during a robbery, and was unrelated to prior sexual abuse. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said Friday that he would appeal the decision. He has said the abuse allegations are hearsay and "a last-ditch effort to escape punishment." Since the execution date was set, a number of high-profile supporters have called for clemency in the case, including Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly. More than 360,000 people have signed an online petition asking authorities to spare Williams' life. Norwood's widow has also asked for the execution to be called off.