MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Tommy Arthur has had his execution postponed seven times since 2001, so many delays that victims’ rights advocates derisively call him the “Houdini” of death row. When police found Troy Wicker shot through the eye in his bed on Feb. 1, 1982, Arthur was already in a prison work-release program for the 1977 slaying of his sister-in-law. Police first looked into Arthur when a tip came in saying a work-release inmate had a stack of $100 bills. But investigators said they also found phone calls between Judy Wicker and Arthur. Arthur has won multiple execution delays, partly because his attorneys have pursued appeals arguing lethal injection procedures would be painful because he suffers from a heart condition.

Source: National Post May 24, 2017 13:07 UTC