6 Executions Scheduled in June During the first and final weeks of June, six people are scheduled to be executed, half of whom are in Texas. Two cases this month highlight issues of severe mental illness. The first is Percy Walton, scheduled to be executed by the state of Virginia on June 8th. Walton has been diagnosed with severe chronic schizophrenia and is unable to comprehend his impending execution. The second is Paul Dennis Reid, scheduled to be executed by the state of Tennessee on June 28th. The TN Supreme Court has conceded Reid's mental illness and incompetence, yet the execution is still set to take place. Read more about these and the other cases below -- and ACT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do Not Execute Percy Walton! Throughout his appeals, Walton's attorneys have argued that he was not competent to plead guilty to the murders, and that his pleas were not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary. While awaiting trial, Walton expressed his belief that he could not be seen if he had his eyes closed. He also told his relatives he was Jesus Christ and that he was a millionaire. He told others he looked forward to his execution because then he would be able to return to life immediately and resurrect his dead family members. In 1999, a psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist and a neurologist assessed Walton's mental health for his appeals and found that he suffers from severe chronic schizophrenia. Today Walton is a shell of a human being, severely mentally ill and cognitively impaired and completely unaware that he faces imminent execution. ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Tim Kaine requesting that he stop the execution of Percey Walton! Read More and Take Action at: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3864 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do Not Execute Paul Reid! Questions regarding Reid's competency to be executed lie at the heart of his case. Reid has a history of mental illness, but no court has found him to be mentally incompetent despite the evidence of such illness staring them in the face. Notably, in a reply to the state's opposition to Reid's motion for a stay of execution in October of 2005 the Tennessee Supreme Court stated: "All forensic mental health evaluators who have examined Mr. Reid within the last several years have found him to be severely mentally ill and incompetent with regard to making legal decisions." Moreover, in a footnote to this statement, the Court noted that Reid is operating under a psychotic belief that he is being tortured by scientific technology and that the only way to escape the torture is to succumb to execution. How can a court that recognizes the reality of Reid's mental illness and incompetency allow Reid's execution to move forward? The Tennessee Supreme Court goes on to acknowledge the importance of competency, stating that it is a fundamental right, and that therefore Reid is entitled to the proper protection when the state proposes to take drastic action against him. If this was a worthy reason to grant a stay in October, what has changed since then to allow the execution to proceed? ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Phil Bredesen and asking that Paul Reid's execution be halted! Read More and Take Action at: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3867 See and act on all current Execution Alerts at http://www.ncadp.org/execution_alerts.html June 1: John Boltz, OK http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3862 June 6: Timothy Titsworth, TX http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3863 June 8: Percy Walton, VA http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3864 June 20: Lamont Reese, TX http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3865 June 27: Angel Resendiz, TX http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3866 June 28: Paul Reid, TN http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/ campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3867 (source: NCADP)
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news------USA------NCADP June Execution Alert
Rick Halperin Wed, 31 May 2006 21:06:11 -0500 (Central Daylight Time)
