BOISE, Idaho — Thomas Creech is the longest-serving death row inmate in Idaho, and now a federal judge has issued a stay of execution. Coming after Creech's motion for a stay of execution was denied on Oct. 23rd. Creech was scheduled to be put to death next week, after a failed attempt to do so earlier this year.
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The State of Idaho earlier this year attempted to execute Thomas Creech via lethal injection, but failed due to inability to establish reliable intravenous access.
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U.S District Judge G. Murray Snow who is a senior judge from District of Arizona, subbed in because of potential "conflicts of interest" for Idaho's federal judges. Judge Snow states that it was necessary to wait on the Idaho Supreme Court's ruling on other similar arguments before the case could be proceeded.
“I’m not going to rush justice in a case like this. Even if the (high court) opinion came down today, I would be inclined to stay this matter for at least 20 days.”
With the failed execution, Creech's legal team filed a petition for post-conviction relief. The petition argued that the further attempt to carry out the death sentence would be violating his constitutional rights.
