Guardian UK: Sane enough for Texas: the Lone Star State's history of executing mentally ill inmates

[marmar]

Sane enough for Texas: the Lone Star State's history of executing mentally ill inmates
On Wednesday, Scott Panetti will become the latest American prisoner to be put to death in apparent disregard of the constitutional ban on executing the insane


Nearly two decades after the US supreme court outlawed the execution of severely mentally ill people, Andre Thomas was placed on Texas death row for killing his estranged wife, his four-year-old son and his one-year-old stepdaughter while carrying out what he believed was an order from God to exorcise their demons.

He cut out his children’s hearts and part of his wife’s lung then tried to stab himself to death. When that failed he put the organs in his pocket and walked home. Reading the Bible in prison a few days later, he came across a passage from Matthew: “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out.” He gouged out his right eye.

Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he was subsequently treated and deemed fit to stand trial two months later. In court, prosecutors argued that his violent behaviour was explained by drink and drugs while clawing out his eye was simply a moment of madness. In 2005, a jury gave him the death penalty.

In 2008, he pulled out his left eye and ate it. The following year, in rejecting an appeal, a judge with the Texas court of criminal appeals wrote: “This is a sad case. (Thomas) is clearly ‘crazy’ but he is also ‘sane’ under Texas law.” ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/02/texas-execution-mentally-ill-history-scott-panetti

[malaise]

1. Rachel is discussing this right now

I hope the Supremes intervene. Scott Panetti is mentally incompetent.

[malaise]

2. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/3/texas-execution-court.html

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/3/texas-execution-court.html
<snip>
A federal appeals court has halted the scheduled execution of a Texas prisoner sentenced to death for fatally shooting his estranged wife's parents 22 years ago. His attorneys say he is too delusional to be put to death, as the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that condemned inmates must be able to understand the reasons for their punishment.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a reprieve late Wednesday morning, less than eight hours before condemned killer Scott Panetti was set to receive a lethal injection.

In a two-sentence ruling, the appeals court said it needed time to "fully consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at issues in this matter," and said a hearing would later be scheduled.