The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a last-minute reprieve to Garcia Glen White, a death row inmate scheduled to be executed Wednesday.
White was originally sentenced to death for the 1989 murders of twin 16-year-old sisters Bernette and Annette Edwards. He was also found to have sexually assaulted Bernette after attacking her, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice offender records.
After being denied an appeal by the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2010, White’s attorney continued to file appeals until receiving a reprieve from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals today.
According to the appeal filed by White’s attorney, the case should be subject to review based on the argument that White may have been mentally impaired at the time of the attack as well as a suggestion that a second party may have been involved the slayings.
White claims that he was impaired by the effects of long-term cocaine abuse when he attacked the twin girls as well as when he waived his right to an attorney during the initial investigation and resulting interrogations.
The reprieve leaves the question of White’s life in the balance as his appeal and the crimes of which he has been convicted go under review.