Missouri appeals panel refuses to vacate stay of execution for convicted killer Winfield

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to overturn a stay of execution for Missouri inmate John Winfield, and the state has appealed for a hearing before the full court.

The panel issued its ruling late Monday. Winfield is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing two St. Louis County women in 1996.

A federal judge granted the stay Friday, ruling that a prison worker dropped plans to write a letter in support of clemency due to intimidation from staff.

There have been no executions since April, when Clayton Lockett died of a heart attack during a botched execution in Oklahoma. Georgia plans an execution Tuesday night, followed six hours later by John Winfield. A Florida execution is set for Wednesday night.

This story was originally published June 17, 2014 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Missouri appeals panel refuses to vacate stay of execution for convicted killer Winfield."