Edward Nathaniel Bell has been granted a temporary reprieve from the death chamber.

Bell was convicted of killing Winchester Police Sergeant Ricky Timbrook.

The U.S. Supreme Court made the decision on Monday morning.

Bell was facing a July execution for the October 1999 murder of Sergeant Timbrook.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments in Bell's appeal case this fall.

The court will consider whether lower courts correctly took into consideration, Bell's claim that his lawyer did a poor job of representing him.

Bell believes he could have been spared his death sentence if his lawyer had done a better job of representing him during the sentencing phase of his trial.

On Monday, TV3 spoke with Richard Timbrook, Sergeant Timbrook's father, over the phone. He says the court's decision is a slap in the face, and that the jury convicted bell because of the facts in the case.

TV3 interviewed Richard Timbrook in early April, and he said it will always be hard to deal with the loss of his son.

"It doesn't get any easier. You have days that are just as bad as the night it happened. It takes a song - anything like that - but it doesn't get any easier," said Richard Timbrook.

Edward Bell was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001.

His execution date was set for April 8th, but that was delayed by the Supreme Court's consideration of lethal injection procedures.

The court upheld the execution method last month.

On Monday, TV3 also spoke with Joanne Nicholson, grandmother to three of Edward Bell's children.

She says they are pleased that the Supreme Court has decided to hear Bell's case.

Nicholson says she knows this news is disappointing for some, but thinks if the Supreme Court is willing to listen, then maybe others will listen too.