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The Latest: Supreme Court won't halt Texas execution

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The Latest on the scheduled execution of a Texas inmate condemned for fatally stabbing his two stepsons (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to halt the scheduled execution of a Texas inmate who says he’s intellectually disabled.

Robert Sparks was put on death row for fatally stabbing his two stepsons during a 2007 attack in their Dallas home that also killed his wife.

Sparks is set to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening for the slayings of 9-year-old Harold Sublet and 10-year-old Raekwon Agnew.

He had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, arguing two legal issues, including whether his jury was influenced by a bailiff who wore a tie showing his support of the death penalty.

Sparks had previously been unsuccessful on appeals to stop his execution that focused on claims he’s intellectually disabled.

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12 a.m.

A Texas inmate who says he’s intellectually disabled is facing execution for fatally stabbing his two stepsons during a 2007 attack in their North Texas home that also killed his wife.

Robert Sparks is set to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening for the slayings of 9-year-old Harold Sublet and 10-year-old Raekwon Agnew in their Dallas home.

Appeals by Sparks’ attorneys to stop his execution on claims he’s intellectually disabled have been turned down by lower courts.

Sparks’ remaining appeal, before the U.S. Supreme Court, focuses on other legal issues, including whether his jury was influenced by a bailiff who wore a tie showing his support of the death penalty.

If the execution happens, it would be the 16th in the U.S. and the seventh in Texas this year.

The Associated Press