Texas court halts execution of man for murder of 93-year-old woman

By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas court on Thursday halted the execution of Clifton Williams several hours before he was to be put to death for murdering a 93-year-old woman about 10 years ago and then setting her body on fire in a robbery to support his drug habit.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the stay to allow for a review of evidence in the case relating to DNA probability statistics that could have had an impact on his trial, the court said.

Williams, 31, broke into the home of Cecelia Schneider in Tyler in July 2005. He sexually assaulted her before he beat, strangled and stabbed her, the Texas Attorney General's Office said.

Williams placed Schneider's body on her bed and lit it on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. He stole her purse and car as he fled the scene, it said.

In April of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a motion filed by Williams' lawyers to halt the execution. They argued that he is mentally retarded and putting him to death him would be unconstitutional.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Sandra Maler and Eric Beech)