Wait for execution has financial, mental toll

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The average time between a death sentence being handed down in Kentucky and an execution is 20 years — exceeding a national average of 12.8 years.

For the families of those killed, it’s a long wait that doesn’t get easier with time. Donata Nelson has waited 30 years since her son, Scott, was slain after being kidnapped on the way to a high school football game in Louisville.

The man condemned in the slaying, Victor Taylor, has appeals pending.

Meanwhile, a judge has barred the state from carrying out any executions because of a legal challenge to the execution method.

Nelson says the waiting "doesn’t seem to ease" her pain and frustration with the pace of the legal system.

©2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.