Pervis Payne Granted Temporary Reprieve of Execution

Pervis Payne, who has an intellectual disability, was scheduled to be executed on Dec. 3.

11.07.20 By Daniele Selby

Pervis Payne in Riverbend Maximum Security institution in Tennessee. (Image: Courtesy of PervisPayne.Org)

Pervis Payne in Riverbend Maximum Security institution in Tennessee. (Image: Courtesy of PervisPayne.Org)

Governor Bill Lee granted Pervis Payne a temporary reprieve of his execution until April 9, 2021. In a statement released on Friday, Gov. Lee said Mr. Payne’s execution, originally scheduled for Dec. 3, would be delayed due to “challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mr. Payne, who has an intellectual disability, was convicted of the 1987 murder of Charisse Christopher and her daughter, and was just weeks away from being executed.