JACKSON, GEORGIA — Georgia prison officials plan to execute Stacey Humphreys by lethal injection at the state prison near Jackson at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16. Humphreys would be the first person executed in Georgia this year.

The last execution in Georgia occurred in March 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Humphreys' petition for writ of certiorari on March 12, 2026.

Humphreys was convicted of malice murder in the 2003 killings of Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown. Williams was 33 years old at the time of her death.

Humphreys told police after his arrest that he had recently taken out high-interest payday loans and needed money for a payment on his truck. Humphreys was on parole for a 1993 felony theft conviction at the time of the killings and had been released from prison 13 months earlier.

Witnesses told police they saw a man fitting Humphreys’ description at the sales office and a vehicle matching his black Dodge Durango. Police found a Ruger handgun that matched the 9 mm bullets used to kill the women in the console of the rented Jeep Humphreys used to flee. Blood on the gun matched Williams’ DNA, and blood in Humphreys’ truck matched Brown’s DNA.

Humphreys fled from police at his Dunwoody home and was arrested in Wisconsin after leading police on a high-speed chase. "I know I did it. I know it just as well as I know my own name," Humphreys told investigators when asked why he fled.

Humphreys' lawyers argued that parole board members Kimberly McCoy and Wayne Bennett had conflicts of interest due to their roles during his trial. McCoy was a victim advocate with the Cobb County district attorney’s office at the time of Humphreys’ trial and was assigned to work with the victims. Bennett was the sheriff in Glynn County, where the trial was moved, and Humphreys’ lawyers argued he oversaw security for jurors and Humphreys during the case.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled in March that McCoy must recuse herself because of a material conflict of interest. McBurney found that Bennett had very little recollection of the trial and did not have a conflict. McBurney denied a request to order the governor to appoint a substitute member of the parole board.

Humphreys' lawyers appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. Humphreys' lawyers filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, which remains pending.

Why It Matters

This event marks the resumption of executions in Georgia after a gap of more than two years since the last execution in March 2024. The case involves legal challenges regarding the composition of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, specifically concerning potential conflicts of interest among its members.

The clemency hearing in front of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles is set for Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. according to reports. This proceeding occurs after the scheduled execution date, raising questions about the sequence of legal and administrative steps in the capital punishment process.

Timeline

On Nov. 3, 2003, Humphreys entered a sales office in a model home in Powder Springs, Georgia, around midday.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Humphreys forced Williams and Brown to strip naked and give him their bank PINs before fatally shooting them. Humphreys took the women’s driver’s licenses and bank and credit cards, and withdrew more than $3,000 from their accounts.

Humphreys' execution was previously scheduled for December 2025 but was halted after his lawyers filed a petition regarding recusal of State Board of Pardons and Paroles members.

What's New

Reports also state that the clemency hearing in front of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles is set for Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. Furthermore, it is reported that Humphreys was sentenced to death in 2007.