Execution date set for Robbie Lyons

Michael F. Easley Governor		Theodis Beck Secretary
North Carolina Department of Correction

For Release: IMMEDIATE	Contact: Pamela Walker
Date: October 22, 2003	Phone: (919) 716-3700

Execution date set for Robbie James Lyons RALEIGH - Correction Secretary Theodis Beck has set Friday, Dec. 5, 2003 as the execution date for death row inmate Robbie James Lyons. The execution is scheduled for 2 a.m. at Central Prison in Raleigh. Lyons, 31, was sentenced to death on May 6, 1994 in Forsyth County Superior Court for the September 1993 murder of Stephen Wilson Stafford. In addition, Lyons received a 30-year sentence for armed robbery. A media tour is scheduled at Central Prison on Monday, Dec 1. Interested media representatives should arrive at Central Prison’s visitor center promptly at 10 a.m. on the tour date. Warden Marvin Polk will explain the execution procedures. The session will last approximately one hour. This will be the only opportunity to photograph the execution chamber and death watch area before the execution. Journalists who plan to attend the tour should contact the Department of Correction Public Information Office at 919-716-3700. ATTENTION EDITORS: A photo of Lyons can be obtained by using the "Offender Search" function on the Department of Correction web site at www.doc.state.nc.us. For more information about the death penalty, including selection of witnesses, click on "The Death Penalty" link. # # #