My review of Christopher S. Kudlac’s Public Executions, which I read while visiting family in Texas, complements the news a little too well.

A man who was the getaway driver for a robbery that turned into murder had been sentenced to die by the state of Texas for his accessory role. His execution, which had been set for this coming Wednesday, has been stayed following a bipartisan effort by Texas politicians and others. Aside from the rarity with which accessories to capital crimes have been executed, there are also concerns about the ethics of a psychiatrist who testified in the trial of this man and others.

Those advocating on behalf of the convicted hope to have his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.