Court grants Texas prisoner execution reprieve
Source: Associated Press
Court grants Texas prisoner execution reprieve
By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press | December 3, 2014 | Updated: December 3, 2014 2:54pm
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court halted Wednesday's scheduled execution of a Texas prisoner who defense attorneys argue is too delusional to be put to death.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the reprieve less than eight hours before condemned killer Scott Panetti was set to receive a lethal injection. Panetti was sentenced to death for fatally shooting his estranged wife's parents 22 years ago.
His lawyers argued that he was too mentally ill to qualify for capital punishment, and they sought the delay so Panetti could undergo new competency tests. They noted that he acted as his own attorney during trial — dressed in a purple cowboy outfit — and tried to subpoena more than 200 witnesses, including the pope and Jesus Christ.
Appeals also were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, which has said mentally ill people cannot be executed if they don't have a factual and rational understanding of why they're being punished.
In a two-sentence ruling, the appeals court said it needed time to "fully consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at issue in this matter" and that it would schedule a hearing later to consider arguments.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Attorneys-Condemned-killer-in-Texas-is-delusional-5931452.php
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