Willie Ray Williams v. Wayne Scott, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division

DUHÉ, Circuit Judge:

Appellant Willie Ray Williams, a Texas death row inmate, appeals the denial of his petition for writ of habeas corpus. The district court stayed Williams’s execution, granted summary judgment in favor of the State, and granted Williams a Certificate of Probable Cause for appeal. We affirm the summary judgment and vacate the stay of execution.

BACKGROUND

Willie Ray Williams and Jo Jo Nichols robbed a convenience store. During the robbery, Williams murdered Claude Schaffer Jr. by shooting him in the back with a pistol while he was in a squatting position behind the counter.…