Appeals Court Stays Convicted Killer’s Tuesday Execution

RUSK COUNTY — A Texas appeals court has delayed this week’s scheduled execution of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter during what the couple had said was part of an “exorcism” in Rusk County. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday granted the stay for Blaine Milam. His execution was slated for Tuesday. Milam’s attorneys say his conviction was based on “now discredited” bite mark evidence. They also argue he is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution. The 29-year-old Milam would have been the first inmate put to death this year both in the U.S. and in Texas.

Milam’s girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, was also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. In December 2008, Milam, along with the child’s mother, beat Amora to death with a hammer in an alleged exorcism. The pair were found guilty back in 2011.