Georgia's pardons board has denied clemency to a man convicted of killing three Columbus women in the 1970s.

The board made its decision to deny Carlton Gary clemency Tuesday, a day after his attorneys asked the panel to give the case another look.

Gary was scheduled to be executed Wednesday, Dec. 16. He was convicted in 1986 of three of the city's seven "Stocking Strangler" slayings.

The victims were strangled with their own stockings

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com