A condemned prisoner whose cause has been championed by fellow Buddhists came within six hours of dying by injection before a court issued a stay.
Jaturun Siripongs, 43, had been scheduled to die shortly after midnight for killing two people while robbing an Orange County market in 1981.He had eaten what he thought was his last meal - fresh fruit and dim sum - Monday and said goodbye to his family.
But his execution was halted less than six hours in advance when U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney said Gov. Pete Wilson's office may have misled Siripongs' lawyers about what information the governor would consider in deciding whether to reduce Siripongs' sentence to life without parole.