Gayland Bradford, Texas death row inmate, has received a temporary stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court. Bradford was sentenced to death for the 1988 murder of 29 year old Brian Williams, a Dallas, Texas, convenience store security guard. Bradford was 20 when the murder was committed, and was on parole for robbery
Defense lawyers claim that Bradford is mentally deficient due to his IQ of 68, and therefore should not be executed. The Supreme Court had previously placed a ban on executing those who are mentally deficient. They failed to set a standard for what constitutes mental deficiency so far.
Justice Antonin Scalia issued the stay of execution on Friday afternoon. The move is meant to allow the lawyers for Bradford ample time to file an appeal. The lawyers need a full appeal to battle the constitutional issues around the conviction and sentence.
The conditions set forth for the stay only allow for the petition for a writ certiorari. If that is rejected, the stay will expire.
An average IQ is around 100, with genius being 144 or higher. According to wilderdom.com, 70% of people have an IQ score that falls within a range of 85 and 115. 5% of people have an IQ under 70, which is generally considered as the benchmark for “mental retardation”.
