Mentally ill Texas inmate's execution stayed by federal appeals court

[herding cats]

Source: The Guardian

A mentally ill death row inmate whose impending execution attracted international condemnation was granted a reprieve by a federal appeals court on Wednesday less than eight hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection in the Texas state penitentiary.

The fifth circuit court issued a stay of Scott Panetti’s execution so it could “fully consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at issue”.

Panetti shot dead Joe and Amanda Alvarado, the parents of his estranged wife, Sonja, in front of her and their three-year-old daughter in the Texas hill country in 1992.

As Panetti’s execution date approached his case gained widespread attention and a number of evangelical Christians, mental health groups, legal figures and prominent conservatives called for the sentence to be commuted, along with two United Nations human rights experts.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/03/mentally-ill-texas-inmate-execution-stayed-scott-panetti

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Texas stirs controversy with plans to execute schizophrenic man

Attorneys and a politically diverse coalition of supporters are fighting to stop Texas from executing a schizophrenic man this week, arguing that to do so would be unconstitutional.


He confessed at trial, where he wore a cowboy costume to defend himself -- arguing he was innocent by reason of insanity -- and subpoenaed more than 200 witnesses including the pope, John F. Kennedy and Jesus. He said that only an insane person could prove insanity.

Diagnosed with schizophrenia 36 years ago, Panetti, his lawyers say, still hears voices and suffers from the delusions that the attorneys argue prevent him from understanding why he is being executed, which would violate the 8th Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-texas-execution-mentally-ill-20141202-story.html

[BlueCaliDem]

1. I'm very happy to read this, however, would the court have ruled the same had Panetti been black?

Somehow I don't think so. And that dampers my anti-death-penalty joy that Panetti has rightfully received a stay of execution. I hope his sentence will be commuted to life without parole.

[cstanleytech]

4. I dont think its so much of a black issue as it is an economic one and that if he had been rich

he probably could have afforded a better attorney he might not be on death row because as we saw in the case with Ethan Couch money does help when it comes to being charged with a crime.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

2. Was it Rachel who did a segment on how W couldnt wait to kill that white woman?

That he cackled and mimicked her begging for mercy.

W was and is an actual sociopath. When it came to executing people he didnt see color.

Now rightwingers do like to kill people, so I am surprised they want mercy for this guy, some of them anyway, but if he was AfAm I wonder what they would be saying.

I doubt they would give a damn

[Archae]

3. Saw it last night, on Rachel.

It was none other than Tucker Carlson who reported on Bush's heartless remarks.

Then again, Dubya always was selfish, heartless, scheming and sociopathic.

He and Cheney should be jailed for life for their war crimes.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

6. I seem to recall when that story came out another story came out of those who knew

W as a child, that he would torture animals and such.

Funny thing is I see Cheney very differently, he is a cold, calculating murderer, yes, but he always has personal and political profit as a motive, he doesnt do it just for the fun of it.

I know for a FACT that W loved killing all those people in Iraq, he got a kick out of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who came up with "Shock and Awe", for that alone he should be in prison for life.

[Beaverhausen]

5. I remember from one of the debates in 2000 that Dubya said he had no regrets about killing her

with that damn smirk on his face. I knew then he was evil.

Carla Fay Tucker was her name.

[iandhr]

7. The Pope, John F. Kennedy and Jesus.

That's quite a witness list.