Louisiana inmate Christopher Sepulvado died Saturday, just over three weeks before he was scheduled to be put to death for his young stepson’s murder in what would have been one of the first two executions in 15 years as the state shifts its posture on capital punishment.

He died at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, located in the eastern part of the state. Lawyers for Sepulvado in a statement announcing his death said he suffered from severe physical and mental decline in recent years.

Christopher Sepulvado, 81, died Saturday at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana, "from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions," according to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.