The Fight Over Tennesseeâs Death Penalty Goes On The cases of Pervis Payne and Sedley Alley highlight issues of intellectual disability and possible innocence Tweet Pervis Payne Pervis Payne was less than a month away from his Dec. 3 execution date when Gov. Bill Lee called it off. Prison officials had already come to see Payne on death row to ask him to choose between lethal injection and the electric chair. When Lee granted Payne a temporary reprieve on Nov. 6, he didnât cite the serious and longstanding questions about Payneâs guilt or what his attorneys say is well-documented intellectual disability â the reprieve came âdue to the challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.â