Supreme Court Grants Texas Inmate Last Stay of Execution

Ruben Gutierrez seeks DNA testing to prove his innocence in the 1998 murder of an elderly woman.

Gutierrez was convicted of the 1998 stabbing death of Escolastica Harrison during a home robbery.
The Supreme Court's stay came 20 minutes before his scheduled execution by lethal injection.
His attorneys argue that untested DNA evidence could exonerate him, but state courts have denied the requests.
Prosecutors claim Gutierrez's DNA testing appeals are tactics to delay his execution.
This is the second time the Supreme Court has paused his execution, previously halting it in 2020 over religious advisor access.