Florida court issues temporary stay for mass murderer

The Florida Supreme Court has extended a previous stay of execution for a mass murderer by two days, to Oct. 18, to allow for review of testimony in an evidentiary hearing into Ferguson's competence, based on documents shared by the court.

Ferguson's lawyers have maintained that he should not be executed because, among other things, he is mentally ill, as reported in On Deadline in recent days.

John Errol Ferguson, 64, was convicted in 1978 in the deaths of six residents of Carol City, Fla., during a home invasion robbery, the Miami Herald has reported.

He was separately convicted of murdering two teens in 1978 after raping and robbing one of them, the Herald reported.

An order from the Circuit Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit, which held the evidentiary hearing, is due by Friday, 4 p.m. ET, based on Florida Supreme Court documents.

Ferguson's lawyers maintain that various court-appointed specialists have concluded Ferguson suffers from ailments ranging from severe inability to distinguish right from wrong to hallucinations.