RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal judge has refused to halt the execution of a man convicted of killing a family of four in Virginia.
Ricky Gray's attorneys had asked U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson for a delay to enable him to challenge the state's plan to use lethal injection drugs from a secret compounding pharmacy. Gray's attorneys say the state risks "chemically torturing" the man.
Hudson ruled Tuesday that Gray failed to show he's likely to win that challenge. Gray's execution remains scheduled for Jan. 18. His attorneys can appeal Hudson's decision to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Gray was convicted of killing Bryan and Kathryn Harvey and their young daughters at their Richmond home on New Year's Day 2006.
