Court sets July execution date for Virginia death row inmate

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Virginia Department of Corrections shows convicted murderer William Morva, at the Greenville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va. Morva was convicted in 2008 for the murders of three people, is scheduled to be executed on July 6. (Virginia Department of Corrections via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia inmate convicted of killing two people during an escape in 2006 is scheduled to be executed July 6.

A circuit court in Virginia's Montgomery County on Tuesday granted the state's request for that execution date for 35-year-old William Morva.

Morva was in jail, awaiting trial, when he overpowered a deputy sheriff during a trip to the hospital. Authorities say he used the deputy's pistol to fatally shoot an unarmed security guard and killed another deputy during a manhunt the next day.

Morva's attorneys say the man was acting under the influence of "delusions" during the crimes.

Attorney Dawn Davison said in a statement that "justice is not served by executing a severely mentally ill man" and added that Gov. Terry McAuliffe should halt Morva's scheduled execution.