A DeSoto Parish man who’s spent over three decades on death row could be the first person executed in Louisiana under the state’s newly finalized execution protocol.

DeSoto District Judge Amy McCartney signed a warrant on Feb. 11 scheduling the execution of Christopher Sepulvado for March 17. Sepulvado, who has been on death row since 1993, was convicted of torturing and killing his 6-year-old stepson, Wesley Mercer.

Sepulvado is the second Louisiana death row inmate to receive an execution date this week. As Louisiana prepares to resume executions, legal challenges are expected to follow, with each case potentially facing scrutiny in state and federal courts before any sentence is carried out.