We got huge news on Friday: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee granted Pervis Payne a temporary reprieve of his execution until April 9, 2021.
In a statement, Gov. Lee said that Pervis’ execution, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 3, would be delayed due to “challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Pervis, who has an intellectual disability, has been on death row in Tennessee for nearly 32 years without evidence from his case being tested for DNA.
Despite the reprieve and the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional to execute someone with intellectual disabilities, Pervis remains on death row. His legal team is continuing to pursue justice, and has asked Gov. Lee to commute Pervis’ sentence in keeping with the ruling.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
