SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Opponents of the death penalty say they will file a motion asking the Oregon Supreme Court to block an execution scheduled for August.
Attorney Jeffrey Ellis with the Oregon Capital Resource Center said Thursday that he will file the motion next week. At a news conference at the state Capitol, Ellis said he will ask the state’s highest court to return the case to Marion County Circuit Court in Salem.
Inmate Gary Haugen is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection August 18 after telling a Marion County judge he wants to waive his appeals. Ellis argues the judge improperly allowed Haugen to dismiss his attorneys after they presented evidence questioning Haugen’s competency to do so.
Haugen was twice convicted of brutal murders.
