FILE - In this undated photo made available by the Georgia Department of Corrections, shows Steven Frederick Spears. Spears is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. He has refused efforts to spare his life. Spears was convicted of murder in the August 2001 death of Sherri Holland at her home in Dahlonega, GA. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP) (The Associated Press)
ATLANTA – A Georgia death row inmate scheduled for execution has taken the unusual step of refusing to file post-conviction appeals.
Steven Frederick Spears is set to be put to death Wednesday. He was convicted in the August 2001 slaying of his ex-girlfriend Sherri Holland at her home in Dahlonega, about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Death sentences in Georgia get an automatic direct appeal and then typically go through post-conviction appeals proceedings in state and federal courts.
Spears' attorney Allyn Stockton said his client has consistently refused to help efforts to spare his life. But he said Spears has waffled about whether he actually wanted to die.
The state is unequivocal in its desire to see his sentence carried out.
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