Execution delayed for death row inmate who cut out his eyes
2 years ago

Execution delayed for death row inmate who cut out his eyes

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Next month’s scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate, whose attorneys say gouged out both of his eyes — each a separate incident — because of severe mental illness, was delayed by a judge on Tuesday. “We are confident that when we present the evidence of Mr. Thomas’s incompetence, the court will agree that executing him would violate the Constitution,” Maurie Levin, Thomas’ attorney, wrote in a statement. If Fallon decides Thomas’ lawyers have presented sufficient evidence to go forward, experts will be appointed to examine him, and other evidence will be reviewed by the judge before he would make a decision. Levin called Thomas “one of the most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history,” adding that “he is not competent to be executed, lacking a rational understanding of the state’s reason for his execution.” Ashmore said he’s reviewed records that would seem to indicate Thomas knew about his execution date and that he’s aware that he’s in prison because he killed his estranged wife and her kids.

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History of this topic

Court stays execution of Texas man days before he was set to die by lethal injection
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Court stays execution of Texas man days before he was set to die by lethal injection

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas appeals court on Tuesday halted the execution of a man who has spent more than 30 years on death row and had been set to die by lethal injection this week over the killings of six girls and young women found buried in the desert near El Paso. It was the second scheduled execution in …

Two Similar Cases in Texas Expose the Death Penalty as a Farce
4 months, 1 week ago

Two Similar Cases in Texas Expose the Death Penalty as a Farce

Slate  

Two Texas death cases made headlines last week; both involved a parent who was convicted of killing their 2-year old child. As law professor Lee Loevinger explained almost 50 years ago: “Neither judges nor juries, nor even lawyers in the usual situation, ever come in contact with the ‘facts’ of any case, taking ‘facts’ to mean the transactions or occurrences …

Texas attorney general issues damning statement on death row inmate as activists plead for his life
5 months ago

Texas attorney general issues damning statement on death row inmate as activists plead for his life

Daily Mail  

The Texas Attorney General has hit back at state legislators after they managed to delay the execution of a man on death row for killing his two-year-old daughter. Roberson was set to die by lethal injection following his conviction for killing his toddler daughter, Nikki Curtis, at his Palestine, Texas home. Roberson was set to die by lethal injection following …

5 U.S. death row inmates were executed in one week, the most in decades
6 months ago

5 U.S. death row inmates were executed in one week, the most in decades

LA Times  

Death row inmates in five states have been put to death in the span of one week, an unusually high number of executions that defies a yearslong trend of decline in both the use and support of the death penalty in the U.S. Two more death row inmates, in Missouri and Texas, were pronounced dead Tuesday evening following executions, and …

Texas man whose lawyers say is intellectually disabled facing execution for 1997 killing of jogger
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Texas man whose lawyers say is intellectually disabled facing execution for 1997 killing of jogger

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “This court’s intervention is urgently needed to prevent the …

Texas sets execution date for East Texas man accused in shaken baby case
9 months ago

Texas sets execution date for East Texas man accused in shaken baby case

Associated Press  

A Texas court on Monday set an execution date for Robert Roberson, who was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his 2-year-old daughter but has consistently challenged the conviction on the claim that it was based on questionable science. At trial, doctors testified that Nikki’s death was consistent with shaken baby syndrome — in which an infant is severely …

Texas inmate facing execution for 2001 fatal shooting as his lawyers argue he's no longer a danger
9 months ago

Texas inmate facing execution for 2001 fatal shooting as his lawyers argue he's no longer a danger

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The remains of Bridget Townsend weren't found until October …

Texas Man Who Said Death Sentence Was Based On False Expert Testimony Is Executed For 1990 Killing
1 year, 4 months ago

Texas Man Who Said Death Sentence Was Based On False Expert Testimony Is Executed For 1990 Killing

Huff Post  

This booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Brent Ray Brewer. via Associated Press HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas man who said his death sentence was based on false and unscientific expert testimony was executed Thursday evening for killing a man during a robbery decades ago. Brewer’s execution came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined …

Texas prepares for inmate's execution in hopes that Supreme Court allows it to happen
1 year, 5 months ago

Texas prepares for inmate's execution in hopes that Supreme Court allows it to happen

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a federal …

André Thomas death penalty: When can the government execute someone with severe mental illness?
1 year, 5 months ago

André Thomas death penalty: When can the government execute someone with severe mental illness?

Slate  

Welcome to State of Mind, a section from Slate and Arizona State University dedicated to exploring mental health. There’s no one who hears Thomas’ story and doesn’t respond with a “sharp intake of breath,” Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told me. Thomas’ lawyers have called him one of the “most mentally ill prisoners in …

Texas death row inmate with 40-year mental illness history ruled not competent to be executed
1 year, 6 months ago

Texas death row inmate with 40-year mental illness history ruled not competent to be executed

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas death row inmate with a long history of mental illness, and who tried to call Jesus Christ and John F. Kennedy as trial witnesses, is not competent to be executed, a federal judge ruled. He has also claimed the devil has “blinded” Texas and is using the state to kill him to stop him from preaching …

Texas executes inmate for killing 4 during drug robbery
2 years ago

Texas executes inmate for killing 4 during drug robbery

Associated Press  

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas has executed an inmate convicted of the drug-related killings of four people more than 30 years ago, including a woman who was 9-months pregnant. Killed during the drug robbery were 32-year-old Jose Tovar; his wife’s 17-year-old son, Frank Farias; 19-year-old Jessica Quiñones, the pregnant girlfriend of another son of Rachel Tovar; and 21-year-old neighbor Audrey Brown. …

Texas death row inmate who cut out his eyes seeks clemency
2 years, 1 month ago

Texas death row inmate who cut out his eyes seeks clemency

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Plagued by mental illness, Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas started hearing voices when he was 9 years old and first attempted suicide when he was 10, his attorneys say. His lawyers say in March 2004, when he was 21, Thomas’ mental illness erupted in a burst of horrific violence in his hometown of Sherman, Texas. His attorneys …

Man who fatally shot 3 Texas teens in 1998 faces execution
2 years, 1 month ago

Man who fatally shot 3 Texas teens in 1998 faces execution

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It had been unclear whether John Balentine’s execution, scheduled for Wednesday evening …

Execution of man convicted in killing of 3 in Texas delayed
2 years, 1 month ago

Execution of man convicted in killing of 3 in Texas delayed

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A judge has delayed next week’s scheduled execution …

Execution date set for ‘one of most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history’
2 years, 4 months ago

Execution date set for ‘one of most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history’

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Officials have set an …

Court rejects Black Texas death row inmate’s race bias claim
2 years, 5 months ago

Court rejects Black Texas death row inmate’s race bias claim

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Black Texas death row inmate who argued he didn’t get a fair trial because jurors who convicted him objected to interracial marriage. The court’s three liberal justices dissented from the court’s order turning away the appeal from inmate Andre Thomas. “No jury deciding whether to recommend a …

Texas executes inmate who fought prayer, touch rules
2 years, 5 months ago

Texas executes inmate who fought prayer, touch rules

Associated Press  

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Texas death row inmate whose case redefined the role of spiritual advisers in death chambers nationwide was executed Wednesday, despite the efforts of a district attorney to stop his lethal injection. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Ramirez, saying states must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their faith …

Judge: Execution can't proceed without religious requests
2 years, 8 months ago

Judge: Execution can't proceed without religious requests

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A federal judge has issued …

Judge keeps execution for inmate who sought pastor’s touch
2 years, 9 months ago

Judge keeps execution for inmate who sought pastor’s touch

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas judge on Tuesday denied a request by a district attorney who called capital punishment “unethical” to withdraw the execution date of a death row inmate whose case had raised legal questions about the role of spiritual advisers in the death chamber. In a court motion, Gonzalez said he “has the firm belief that the death penalty …

As execution warrant lapses, families tell AP grief is fresh
2 years, 10 months ago

As execution warrant lapses, families tell AP grief is fresh

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The families of two young girls who were abducted and attacked 46 years ago by a Georgia man who was scheduled to be put to death last week say they are “deeply upset and disappointed” that the execution was halted by a judge and the death warrant was allowed to expire Tuesday. Lisa Smith, Lori’s older sister, said …

Lawyers seek to delay Georgia execution set for next week
2 years, 10 months ago

Lawyers seek to delay Georgia execution set for next week

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Lawyers for a Georgia man scheduled to be put to death next week for killing an 8-year-old girl 46 years ago are trying to delay the execution. The lawsuit says the agreement said that, with one named exception, executions wouldn’t resume until six months after three conditions had been met: the expiration of the state’s COVID-19 judicial emergency, …

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted
2 years, 11 months ago

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After an undisclosed “oversight” forced Tennessee to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die last week, Smith’s attorneys on Thursday asked for a moratorium on executions and a review of the state’s execution protocols. Bill Lee issued a brief statement on April 21 at 5:42 p.m. saying that “due to …

John Henry Ramirez: His execution date was set, two days later, a Texas district attorney withdrew his death warrant
2 years, 11 months ago

John Henry Ramirez: His execution date was set, two days later, a Texas district attorney withdrew his death warrant

CNN  

CNN — John Henry Ramirez’s execution date was scheduled last week in south Texas for this coming October, but two days later, a Texas district attorney who doesn’t believe in the death penalty withdrew his death warrant. On April 12, an assistant district attorney signed Ramirez’s execution date, which was scheduled for October 5, nearly a year after his original …

Texas inmate who sought pastor’s touch gets execution date
2 years, 11 months ago

Texas inmate who sought pastor’s touch gets execution date

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas death row inmate who won a reprieve when his request for his pastor to pray out loud and touch him as he received his lethal injection sparked legal debate has a new execution date. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said it wouldn’t formally update agency rules regarding spiritual advisers in the death chamber following the …

High court: States must allow prayer, touch in executions
3 years ago

High court: States must allow prayer, touch in executions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Thursday that states must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an 8-1 opinion joined by conservative and liberal justices that “it is possible to accommodate Ramirez’s sincere religious beliefs without delaying or …

Man facing death in couple’s fatal stabbing gets reprieve
3 years ago

Man facing death in couple’s fatal stabbing gets reprieve

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas inmate who was scheduled to be the first to be executed by the state this year received a reprieve from an appeals court on Thursday. Michael Dean Gonzales had been set to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday evening for fatally stabbing an elderly couple during a burglary of their West Texas home nearly 30 years …

Appeals court paves the way for 2 more Oklahoma executions
3 years, 2 months ago

Appeals court paves the way for 2 more Oklahoma executions

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court rejected a request from two Oklahoma death row inmates to temporarily halt their upcoming lethal injections. The two have argued that the state’s current three-drug lethal injection protocol that uses midazolam as the first drug will expose them to a constitutionally unacceptable risk of severe pain. The judge also determined that Grant and …

Texas announces execution date for eldest death row inmate
3 years, 2 months ago

Texas announces execution date for eldest death row inmate

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Carl Wayne Buntion, 81, was convicted more than …

Judge denies Oklahoma death row inmate’s request for stay
3 years, 4 months ago

Judge denies Oklahoma death row inmate’s request for stay

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge on Tuesday denied a death row inmate’s request for a stay of execution, paving the way for him to receive a lethal injection next month. Bigler Stouffer II, 79, and his attorneys argued that the state’s current three-drug lethal injection protocol poses the risk of subjecting him to unconstitutional pain and suffering. Stouffer also …

High court skeptical of Texas death row inmate prayer demand
3 years, 4 months ago

High court skeptical of Texas death row inmate prayer demand

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Conservative Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Tuesday about a Texas death row inmate’s demand that his pastor be allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution. “An outsider touching the inmate during lethal injection poses an unacceptable risk to the security, integrity, and solemnity of the execution,” Texas told the justices in briefs filed with …

Justices struggle with religious rights of prisoners during executions
3 years, 4 months ago

Justices struggle with religious rights of prisoners during executions

CNN  

CNN — The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday with a Texas death row inmate’s request to have his pastor “lay hands” on him and pray out loud during his eventual execution, with several justices questioning how the court can draw a line between an inmate’s religious rights claims and a state’s interest in security. Justice Samuel Alito said that the court …

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions
3 years, 5 months ago

Federal appeals court temporarily halts Oklahoma executions

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court granted stays of execution on Wednesday for two Oklahoma inmates who were scheduled to receive lethal injections in the coming weeks. The panel wrote, “We find nothing in the relevant case law that specifically requires a prisoner to designate a method of execution to be used in his case by ‘checking a box’ …

Texas executions delayed over religious rights claims
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas executions delayed over religious rights claims

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — The unresolved legal debate over whether spiritual advisers can touch inmates and pray aloud as condemned individuals are being put to death has delayed the final two executions scheduled this year in Texas. The delays come as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments next month in the case of another Texas death row inmate on …

Texas executions face delays over religious rights claims
3 years, 5 months ago

Texas executions face delays over religious rights claims

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Executions in the nation’s busiest capital punishment state face delays amid legal questions over Texas’ refusal to allow spiritual advisers to touch inmates and pray aloud as condemned individuals are being put to death. It’s unclear when Texas may carry out another execution after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear religious freedom claims from death row inmate …

Another Texas execution delayed on religious freedom claims
3 years, 6 months ago

Another Texas execution delayed on religious freedom claims

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Another Texas inmate has had his execution delayed over claims the state is violating his religious freedom by not letting his spiritual adviser lay hands on him at the time of his lethal injection. Prosecutors said the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming review of similar religious freedom issues made by another inmate, John Henry Ramirez, whose execution the high …

Supreme Court HALTS execution of Texas killer at last minute decision
3 years, 6 months ago

Supreme Court HALTS execution of Texas killer at last minute decision

Daily Mail  

Henry Ramirez, 37, is set to be executed Wednesday for killing a convenience store in in a robbery that garnered $1.25 in 2004 The U.S. Supreme Court has halted the execution of a Texas inmate as they consider his request to have his pastor lay his hands on him as he's put to death by lethal injection. Ramirez' s request …

Texas ends clergy, spiritual advisers ban in death chamber
3 years, 11 months ago

Texas ends clergy, spiritual advisers ban in death chamber

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Texas prisons have resumed allowing clergy as well as spiritual advisers in the death chamber, reversing a two-year ban created after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of an inmate who had argued his religious freedom was being violated because his Buddhist spiritual adviser wasn’t allowed to accompany him, officials said Thursday. The Texas Department of Criminal …

U.S. Supreme Court clears way for execution of only woman on federal death row
4 years, 2 months ago

U.S. Supreme Court clears way for execution of only woman on federal death row

The Hindu  

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a stay on convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery's execution by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, clearing the way for application of the death penalty for the only woman on federal death row in the United States, who doctors say is brain-damaged and mentally ill. Montgomery's execution would mark the first time the U.S. …

US courts delay all federal executions scheduled this week
4 years, 2 months ago

US courts delay all federal executions scheduled this week

Al Jazeera  

A US judge ordered the Justice Department to delay the executions of two condemned murderers until at least March 16 to allow them to recover from COVID-19, hours after a federal judge in Indiana blocked Tuesday’s scheduled execution of the only woman on federal death row in the United States, citing mental health. Their lawyers argued execution Convicted murderer Lisa …

2nd Texas death row inmate declared intellectually disabled
4 years, 6 months ago

2nd Texas death row inmate declared intellectually disabled

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “My faith in the criminal justice system is strengthened …

US executes second man this week after lawyers argued dementia made him mentally unfit
4 years, 8 months ago

US executes second man this week after lawyers argued dementia made him mentally unfit

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The United States has …

US court blocks execution amid claims of mental incompetence
4 years, 8 months ago

US court blocks execution amid claims of mental incompetence

Al Jazeera  

The order blocks two further planned executions which the Trump administration heralds as a return to law and order. Wednesday’s order by District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to block Purkey’s execution also prevents the federal government from executing two others – Dustin Honken and Keith Nelson – convicted of murdering children. The US government carried out its first execution in …

US Supreme Court halts Texas execution over clergy question
4 years, 9 months ago

US Supreme Court halts Texas execution over clergy question

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — The U.S. Supreme Court granted a reprieve Tuesday to a Texas inmate scheduled to die for fatally stabbing an 85-year-old woman more than two decades ago, continuing a more than four-month delay of executions in the nation’s busiest death penalty state during the coronavirus pandemic. The Supreme Court said it granted the stay pending a ruling by the …

Trump gets win in executions case, but more litigation ahead
4 years, 11 months ago

Trump gets win in executions case, but more litigation ahead

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — An appeals court sided with the Trump administration Tuesday in its effort to resume executions of federal death row prisoners but sent a legal challenge by inmates back to a lower court for further review. Inmates challenged their executions and a trial court judge temporarily halted them, ruling that the federal government’s execution procedure likely violates the Federal …

Texas executed an inmate for a prison murder. His lawyers said false testimony put him on death row
5 years, 3 months ago

Texas executed an inmate for a prison murder. His lawyers said false testimony put him on death row

Salon  

Texas officials didn't dispute that prosecutors introduced false testimony at Travis Runnels’ 2005 capital murder trial in Amarillo. “As was the case in several other capital trials in which Merillat testified, the purpose of his testimony was to establish for the jury that the state prison system’s security for non-death sentenced inmates was so lax that the defendant would be …

Texas appeals court blocks inmate Rodney Reed’s execution
5 years, 4 months ago

Texas appeals court blocks inmate Rodney Reed’s execution

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Texas’ top criminal appeals court on Friday halted the scheduled execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence that his supporters say raises serious doubt about his guilt. In its four-page order, the appeals court said Reed’s case should be returned to the trial court in Bastrop County so it could examine his …

Supreme Court continues open feud over last-minute death penalty appeals
5 years, 10 months ago

Supreme Court continues open feud over last-minute death penalty appeals

CNN  

Washington CNN — An ongoing feud between Supreme Court justices over the application of the death penalty escalated again on Monday as the justices filed opinions in two death penalty cases and took the rare step of issuing public explanations to explain their bitter divide. The court denied his stay of execution in an opinion that triggered a nearly 3 …

Texas bans clergy from executions after Supreme Court ruling
5 years, 11 months ago

Texas bans clergy from executions after Supreme Court ruling

Associated Press  

DALLAS — Texas prisons will no longer allow clergy in the death chamber after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the scheduled execution of a man who argued his religious freedom would be violated if his Buddhist spiritual adviser couldn’t accompany him. The policy change comes in response to the high court’s ruling staying the execution of Patrick Murphy, a member …

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