Federal appeals court halts execution scheduled Wednesday for Texas prisoner

HUNTSVILLE, TX -- A federal appeals court has halted the scheduled execution of a Texas prisoner whose attorneys say is too delusional to be put to death.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a reprieve late Wednesday morning, less than eight hours before condemned killer Scott Panetti was set to receive a lethal injection.

Panetti was sentenced to death for fatally shooting his estranged wife's parents 22 years ago.

Panetti's lawyers are he's too mentally ill to qualify for capital punishment, and they sought a delay for new competency tests.

His attorneys also had appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, which has said mentally ill people cannot be executed if they don't have a factual and rational understanding of why they're being punished.