Alabama inmate's execution stayed to determine if he is competent enough to be put to death

An Alabama judge has issued a stay of execution for a convicted killer allegedly diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia while authorities evaluate whether he is competent enough to be put to death.

"Or similarly put, the issue is whether the petitioner's concept of reality is so impaired that he cannot grasp the execution’s meaning and the purpose or the link between his crime and its punishment," he wrote in the ruling.

Carter said the execution will remain on hold until the Alabama Department of Mental Health concludes its report on Roberts.