James Dailey Granted Temporary Stay of Execution

A federal judge Wednesday granted a temporary stay of execution to 73-year-old James Dailey, convicted in Florida of stabbing and drowning a 14-year-old girl in 1985.

U.S. District Judge William Jung ordered the stay until Dec. 30, because Dailey's new attorneys need more time to research and present their case. The execution had been set for Nov. 7 at Florida State Prison.

Five former Florida death-row inmates on Tuesday presented a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis pleading for a stay, saying Dailey's conviction is flawed.

Authorities say Dailey and two other men met Shelly Boggio and her twin sister when the girls were hitchhiking near St. Petersburg. Boggio's body was found soon after floating near a fishing pier.

Dailey was convicted on the testimoney of one of the other men, Jack Pearcy, who told police it was Dailey who stabbed the teenage victim and held her down in the water. Pearcy was also convicted, but he was sentenced not to death but to life in prison.