NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee death row inmate who has always claimed innocence is asking the governor to commute his sentence to life in prison.
Fifty-three-year-old Pervis Payne is scheduled to die on Dec. 3 for the 1987 stabbing deaths of Charisse Christopher and her 2-year-old daughter.
Payne is Black and told police he was trying to help the victims but panicked when he saw a white policeman and ran away.
A petition sent to Gov. Bill Lee on Monday by Payne's lawyers asks the governor to at least postpone his execution until lawmakers can fix a loophole that prevents him from presenting evidence of intellectual disability in court.
