The Georgia Supreme Court has delayed the execution of a condemned man who attempted to commit suicide hours before he was to be put to death.

Prisons officials rescheduled the execution of 31-year-old Brandon Joseph Rhode for Friday at 9 a.m. after the court on Tuesday delayed the execution two days to give him a chance to consult with his attorneys and to file a new mental competency challenge.

Defense attorneys filed an emergency motion Tuesday after Rhode attempted to commit suicide. It contended Rhode was "incompetent" and executing him would violate the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Rhode was scheduled to die at 7 p.m. Tuesday for the killings of Steven Moss, 37, his 11-year-old son Bryan and 15-year-old daughter Kristin during a burglary of their Jones County home.

Tags: Georgia, execution, lethal injection, Brandon Rhode, triple murder, Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty