Phoenix • A federal appeals court has stayed the execution of a Navajo man convicted of the murder of a 63-year-old fellow tribal member and her 9-year-old granddaughter.
His execution was scheduled for Dec. 11. But the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals put it on hold in a split decision Friday.
Mitchell's attorneys had asked for the stay to investigate potential racial bias by the jury that heard his case. A hearing is scheduled Dec. 13 in Phoenix.
The Justice Department announced earlier this year that it would resume executing death row prisoners after almost two decades.