By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has prompted the top Texas criminal appeals court to grant a 60-day execution stay for a man condemned for killing his family. John William Hummel was to be put to death Wednesday in the Texas death chamber. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected all of his grounds for appeal Monday but said it would postpone the 1. execution “in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address the execution.” Hummel was convicted in 2011 of murdering his wife, daughter and father-in-law at the family's suburban Fort Worth home.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.