A federal appeals court is delaying the execution of a man convicted of killing an Ohio woman.
Thirty-four-year-old Brett Hartmann says he needs more time to prove he's innocent. He was scheduled to die by injection April 7 for the 1997 killing in Akron of his girlfriend, 46-year-old Winda Snipes.
The appeals court in Cincinnati says a brief reprieve is appropriate. It granted Hartmann a delay today while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether prisoners have a constitutional right to test DNA evidence in their cases. A decision is expected this spring.
The high court's ruling could give Hartmann access to crime scene evidence he wants tested. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
