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MIAMI (AP) -- A federal appeals court has rejected claims by convicted Florida killer John Errol Ferguson that he should not be executed because he is mentally incompetent.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that although Ferguson suffers from mental illness, he has a rational understanding of what he did and why he is scheduled for execution. That was the same conclusion reached earlier by the Florida Supreme Court.

Ferguson was convicted of eight murders in South Florida in the 1970s, including a teenage couple who had left a church event for ice cream.

The 65-year-old Ferguson came within hours of execution in October before a stay was issued. Ferguson was first put on Florida's death row in 1978.

Ferguson's attorney says he plans to appeal the decision.