The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the last mandatory appeal on of 61-year-old James Hunt, who is seeking to fire his public defenders and waive all remaining appeals for the slaying of his wife in eastern Kentucky.
Once the court issues the mandate making the decision final, Hunt's execution date would be set for the fifth Friday after the ruling.
Kentucky is currently barred from carrying out executions while it goes through court-ordered steps of reestablishing its lethal injection procedures. It remains unclear if Hunt's execution can be legally carried out if an order setting a date is issued before the execution method is back in place.
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