A new bill up for consideration before the Texas legislature could save people like Andre Thomas from the death penalty, who is scheduled to be killed in April. New from Staff Writer MichellePitcher: DeathPenalty TXLege
The idea that someone can be too mentally ill to be executed is gaining traction in Texas, where the legislature is considering, which would exempt people with severe mental illness—including schizophrenia or bipolar disorder—from being sentenced to death. But while signaling a more clear-eyed view of mental health and the criminal justice system, the bill would not provide retroactive relief for some Texas prisoners, including one man whose execution date looms.
The deck was stacked against Thomas at trial: Multiple jurors had openly expressed racist beliefs during jury selection. The prosecutor leaned on this during the trial, asking the jury to impose the death penalty so Thomas didn’t date one of their daughters next. Thomas is incarcerated at the Wayne Scott Unit south of Houston, where the Texas Department of Criminal Justice houses some of its most mentally ill prisoners. Staff say Thomas continues to suffer from delusions, despite a heavy regimen of medications. He reportedly believes he’s hearing the voice of God and has expressed that he has no control over his delusions.
Thomas has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic by many health professionals. While incarcerated, he gouged out both of his eyes, eating one. His mental state and whether he’s constitutionally protected from state-sanctioned execution is at the center of the petition filed this week. “It is virtually impossible to overstate the depths of that illness—one that plagued Andre from childhood [and] peaked in the days before the crime.”
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Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas’ attorneys apply for clemency, citing mental illnessAt issue is whether Thomas, who gouged out his eyes after confessing to the 2004 murders of his estranged wife, their son and her daughter, is competent to be executed in April.
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Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas’ attorneys apply for clemency, citing mental illnessAt issue is whether Thomas, who gouged out his eyes after confessing to the 2004 murders of his estranged wife, their son and her daughter, is competent to be executed in April.
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