Kaine Delays Execution Of Inmate for 6 Months

About eight hours before Walton's scheduled 9 p.m. execution, his attorneys filed an appeal for a stay with the Supreme Court on the lethal injection question. Just 90 minutes before the execution, the high court denied the appeal without comment.

Kaine's decision is likely to reverberate in Virginia for some time as his office conducts the inquiry into Walton's mental health and others debate Kaine's position on capital punishment.

Bolling said the move is unusual and uncalled for.

"This execution has been scheduled for a long time. If the governor felt that an independent review of his mental status needed to be completed, he should have done that long before now."

Kilgore, who is in a private law practice, said he was not surprised by Kaine's action.

"It's predictable. A lot of things have been predictable, whether it's taxes or the death penalty," he said. "He complained dramatically about some of the death penalty ads I ran saying he was against the death penalty. I guess I've been proven right."

Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.