Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson sat praying in a cell Thursday night just feet from the execution chamber where he was set to be put to death for the murder of his toddler – even as the state and his attorneys exchanged frantic 11th-hour legal maneuvers to determine his fate before the clock ran out.

The Texas Supreme Court halted the Oct. 17 execution of a man who would have been the first person put to death for a murder charge tied to shaken baby syndrome. Weeks of public pressure and legal challenges led up to the late-night ruling.