A Georgia judge has paused an execution scheduled for Wednesday, giving the court time to consider whether a new state law could reduce the sentence of Stacey Humphreys, a 53-year-old man condemned for murder. Humphreys was found guilty in 2003 for the killings of two real estate agents, Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown, in an Atlanta suburb. His execution was set to take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at a state prison near Jackson, but Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning issued a stay of execution late Tuesday to allow for a hearing under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act. The Survivor Justice Act, signed into law this year by Governor Brian Kemp, aims to assist survivors of domestic or child abuse. It allows judges to resentence individuals in prison if they can connect their crimes to abuse they experienced. However, Judge Browning noted in his ruling that the law's wording does not limit its application solely to cases where the offender was abused by the victim. The state attorney general’s office had earlier warned that it would appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court if the stay was granted, in an effort to keep the execution on schedule. Humphreys’ defense lawyer, Brian Kammer, told the court that his client suffered severe family violence and childhood abuse, which significantly influenced his criminal behavior. Kammer detailed that Humphreys endured years of physical abuse, including beatings and cigarette burns, and suffered a skull fracture as a child that went untreated. He was also exposed to drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence in his household. Experts have testified that these experiences caused severe mental health damage and contributed to the criminal behavior that led to his capital trial. The Survivor Justice Act, according to Kammer, was designed to protect individuals like Humphreys who experienced childhood exposure to family violence and child abuse. He argued that Humphreys’ case aligns closely with the law's intent. However, the state countered that the law was not intended for individuals on death row. Sabrina Graham, a lawyer with the attorney general’s office, stated that the law does not allow for reducing death sentences to a 10- to 30-year term. She argued that the law's purpose was for offenders who were victims of abuse by the people they harmed, not for those already on death row. Graham warned that applying the law this way could allow other inmates to seek resentencing based on past abuse, effectively turning trial courts into a substitute for pardon boards. Under the Survivor Justice Act, a hearing should be granted unless there is a lack of trustworthiness in the claims, inherent unreliability in the facts, or a deficiency in the petition. If the court finds that the person experienced domestic or child abuse that significantly contributed to the crime, they should be resentenced to a term between 10 and 30 years. The law aims to ensure that such cases are reviewed with the appropriate consideration of the individual’s background and circumstances.