Mr. Williams, 33, was convicted of the March 4, 1986, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape and murder of 16-year-old Aleta Bunch of Augusta in a case that has drawn international attention.

He had been set to die by lethal injection tonight before the state Board of Pardons and Paroles issued the stay. His execution is now set for Feb. 25 at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in Jackson.

"They have decided they need extra time to adequately assess the mental status of Alexander Williams," board spokeswoman Kathy Browning said.

Mr. Williams is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who has said that he believes actress Sigourney Weaver is God and that he attacked an attorney because he saw a little red man in the lawyer's eye.

His mental status and his age at the time of the crime - 17 - have attracted international attention to the case.

Public figures - from Pope John Paul II to former first lady Rosalynn Carter - have asked the state board for clemency.

Hours before their decision, board members heard testimony from family members and other supporters of both Mr. Williams and Ms. Bunch.

Sitting in front of a high school yearbook and portraits of her daughter, Carolyn Bunch, the victim's mother, told reporters she planned to ask the board to let the execution go ahead.

"He's lived 16 years longer than he let her live," Mrs. Bunch said. "It's just not right to keep putting us through this.

"He should have been put away a long time ago."

Reach Doug Gross at (404) 589-8424 or mnews@mindspring.com.