A federal judge is holding a hearing on a last-minute effort by federal public defenders to stop Friday morning's scheduled execution of convicted killer Shannon Johnson.
Public defenders are trying for the second time to intervene in the case without the 28-year-old's consent, arguing that he is mentally incompetent and should not be executed.
But Johnson's attorney and state prosecutors say the public defender's office has no business trying to insert itself in the case. The public defender's office was ordered last year not to intervene in any legal matter involving Johnson without court permission.
After the state Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence in 2009, Johnson said he did not want to pursue any further appeals and indicated that he wanted to be executed as soon as possible.
Johnson was convicted in 2008 for the 2006 killing of Cameron Hamlin.
