Federal appeals court blocks execution of Alabama inmate

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court has blocked the state of Alabama from executing an inmate convicted of killing a driver who gave him a ride. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that 43-year-old Matthew Reeves can’t be put to death unless the state uses an untested, new method. Reeves’ lawyers say he prefers that to lethal injection but didn’t have the intellectual capacity to make the choice when offered the chance. Reeves’ execution was originally set for Thursday. It could still happen since the state has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Reeves was condemned for killing a man during a robbery in 1996.