Execution on hold

Philip Ray Workman won a stay of execution about 42 minutes before he was

scheduled to die by lethal injection this morning at Riverbend Maximum

Security Institution.

The Tennessee State Supreme Court voted 3-2 to remand the case to the

criminal court of Shelby County, which could take up the case as early as

this morning.

Workman's brother, Terry, first spoke with WTVF NewsChannel 5 reporter Phil

Williams after the stay was announced, saying My brother was less than an

hour away from dyingSMy heart was with my brother.

Debra Inglis, lead legal counsel from the State Department of Corrections,

said the court has sent the case back to the criminal court in Shelby County

where newly discovered evidence will be heard..

At this point, the execution is off for now and we will just await further

orders from the court, Inglis said.

About 200 death penalty opponents gathered outside the Riverbend facility

earlier in the evening to protest Workman