Texas Executes Mentally Retarded Man

[Deleted]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/articl...#ixzz23224oToI

Huntsville - Ignoring its own ruling that prohibits the execution of mentally retarded individuals, the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Texas man with an IQ of 61 convicted of murdering a police drug informant.


Following the high court's denial, 54-year-old Marvin Wilson was executed by lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville, Texas. Wilson was pronounced dead 14 minutes after being injected with a single deadly drug; he was the secondTexas prisoner killed using the state's new single-drug protocol.

Before being killed by the state for the 1992 murder of Jerry Williams, Wilson raised his head from his death bed and nodded to his son and three sisters, who were watching through a glass window. He told them he loved them and asked them to give his mother, who was not present, "a big hug."
"
Y'all do understand that I came here a sinner and leaving a saint," he said, speaking his final words. "Take me home Jesus, take me home Lord, take me home Lord!"

Wilson's attorneys based their appeal on the fact that his IQ was determined to be 61, well below 70, the threshold for mental retardation. Wilson's IQ places him in the very bottom 1% of individuals for intellectual capacity. His reading and writing level was determined to be that of a 7-year-old child's, and he could not hold down a job or even properly dress himself.

In Atkins v. Virginia (2002), the US Supreme Court ruled that executing such individuals was a violation of the Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

But Texas simply redefined retardation, based in part on the fictional character Lennie Small from John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men."

In establishing what are known as the Briseno factors, which Texas uses to determine whether an individual is retarded or not, the state implicitly asserts that anyone less mentally impaired than Steinbeck's Lennie is fit for execution.

Steinbeck's son Thomas slammed the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for using Lennie as a benchmark to determine who should be executed.

"I am deeply troubled by today's scheduled execution of Marvin Wilson... I had no idea that the great state of Texas would use a fictional character that my father created to make a point about human loyalty and dedication... as a benchmark to identify whether defendants with intellectual disability should live or die... The character of Lennie was never intended to be used to diagnose a medical condition like intellectual disability."

Lee Kovarsky, Wilson's lead defense attorney, told the Guardian that he was "gravely disappointed and saddened" by his client's execution. Kovarsky said it was "outrageous that the state of Texas continues to utilize unscientific guidelines... to determine which citizens with intellectual disability are exempt from execution."

Wilson isn't the first mentally retarded Texas convict to be executed in violation of the Supreme Court's prohibition. Last June, Milton Mathis, who scored a 62 on the state's own IQ test, was killed by lethal injection.

Video:

[Dendrek]

You see, the problem is that all of Texas is retarded (JOKING Texans, don't execute me!) so they redefined "retardation" to make themselves feel more intelligent.

On the plus side, at least they can read a book.

[Festisio]

I have no problem whatsoever with his execution.

He had enough mental faculties to team up with another person, make plans about the murder of a police informant and take numerous steps to cover his tracks. Hardly the actions of a dribbling retard.

He deserved to die and I am pleased he is no longer on this earth.

I also find it terribly cliché how all these death row convicts "find Jesus" at the end. Should have adopted a more Christian attitude before you went out murdering shouldn't you matey.

I'll see him in hell.

[smelltheglove]

i dont have any beef with death penalty in theory... in practice though? shit doesnt even closely resemble justice. out of curiosity, did they convict him on a "confession" and no other evidence? they do love to do that, retards are easy to convince to confess and all, and it closes cases, amirite?

[Dendrek]

I'll see him in hell.

I'm sorry. That made me laugh.

[Newbryn]

I have no problem whatsoever with his execution.

He had enough mental faculties to team up with another person, make plans about the murder of a police informant and take numerous steps to cover his tracks. Hardly the actions of a dribbling retard.

He deserved to die and I am pleased he is no longer on this earth.

I also find it terribly cliché how all these death row convicts "find Jesus" at the end. Should have adopted a more Christian attitude before you went out murdering shouldn't you matey.

I'll see him in hell.

Wow you sound like a hypocrite, not that I'm surprised hypocrites can never see the shit they love to spew.

[Shadowmelded]

I'm not sure what's worse. That they're using a fictional character as a benchmark for 'retardation', that people are going to turn this into a political pissing contest, that people are so eager to villify a retarded person or that most people won't give a fuck that someone who can barely read or write or dress himself was put to death for something he most likely doesn't understand.

[Joey Ray III]

I also find it terribly cliché how all these death row convicts "find Jesus" at the end. Should have adopted a more Christian attitude before you went out murdering shouldn't you matey.

I'll see him in hell.

ahahahahah

[Eliandal]

i dont have any beef with death penalty in theory... in practice though? shit doesnt even closely resemble justice. out of curiosity, did they convict him on a "confession" and no other evidence? they do love to do that, retards are easy to convince to confess and all, and it closes cases, amirite?

The death penalty is nothing about justice, and nothing about deterrence. It's all about revenge - state sanctioned murder. However, to make a case by using a fictional character? That's just absurd!

[Galloways]

I just want to know how they were able to carry out this execution without it being stopped.

You see, the problem is that all of Texas is retarded (JOKING Texans, don't execute me!) so they redefined "retardation" to make themselves feel more intelligent.

On the plus side, at least they can read a book.

Texan here. I'm going to be a flight nurse in the near future. Hopefully you won't ever have to get picked up by me. You wouldn't want any "retards" saving your life, right?

[Maleficus]

I'm not sure what's worse. That they're using a fictional character as a benchmark for 'retardation', that people are going to turn this into a political pissing contest, that people are so eager to villify a retarded person or that most people won't give a fuck that someone who can barely read or write or dress himself was put to death for something he most likely doesn't understand.

I'm sure you'd be cool with a mentally challenged individual murdering someone in your family, right? If they don't understand, why bother doing anything?

If he didn't understand the wrong in murder, he won't understand gettin' some juice. Just tell him "We're going on a special ride."

[DeltrusDisc]

Oh boy, let's count the seconds until a nation-bashing post, shall we? I don't condone this happening and it is shameful indeed, but the actions of the few do NOT speak for the actions of the many.

[Grizzly Willy]

Texan here. I'm going to be a flight nurse in the near future. Hopefully you won't ever have to get picked up by me. You wouldn't want any "retards" saving your life, right?

I believe Dendrek said in "joking" in caps, so surely you recognize that he isn't serious. It's a bad joke, sure, but a joke nonetheless.

Also, I was expecting to come into this thread with a GG Texas, but it appears the SCOTUS failed as well. Winners all around, I tells ya.

[Letmebeshifty]

I have no problem whatsoever with his execution.

He had enough mental faculties to team up with another person, make plans about the murder of a police informant and take numerous steps to cover his tracks. Hardly the actions of a dribbling retard.

He deserved to die and I am pleased he is no longer on this earth.

I also find it terribly cliché how all these death row convicts "find Jesus" at the end. Should have adopted a more Christian attitude before you went out murdering shouldn't you matey.

I'll see him in hell.

QFT

I'll see him in hell.

+1 I laughed

Infracted

[Shadowmelded]

I'm sure you'd be cool with a mentally challenged individual murdering someone in your family, right? If they don't understand, why bother doing anything?

If he didn't understand the wrong in murder, he won't understand gettin' some juice. Just tell him "We're going on a special ride."

Wow, holy logical fallacies batman.

I never said the victim's relatives should be ok with it, that's not the point of the justice system and if it was it would be closer to a Retribution system (which is basically what most people want it to become) If the person in question doesn't understand that they've done anything wrong, what are you achieving by 'punishing' them? Other than satisfying peoples desire for death.

[tantojutsu]

Hasn't this happened before?

[Jersovic]

Did you guys know that the Green River Killer is considered mentally retarded by these standards? I find it hard believe he could have evaded capture for that long if he was actually mentally retarded though. Doubt on the IQ system, lol.

[Xada]

He killed a man, it's never easy for anyone to take a life without lowering ourselves to a level devoid of emotions or feeling. Is it our place to take the life of another? No, we pass the responsibility to Government. Sadly, the ones in our state chose a poor basis to execute this man. It is something that does need to change.

[Aalyy]

I have no problem whatsoever with his execution.

He had enough mental faculties to team up with another person, make plans about the murder of a police informant and take numerous steps to cover his tracks. Hardly the actions of a dribbling retard.

He deserved to die and I am pleased he is no longer on this earth.

I also find it terribly cliché how all these death row convicts "find Jesus" at the end. Should have adopted a more Christian attitude before you went out murdering shouldn't you matey.

I'll see him in hell.

Right! Because mentally retarded people are never abused and coerced by others to take the fall or persuaded into doing illegal things. And here in the execution and convict capital of the free world we never wrongly imprison the innocent and we certainly have never discovered, "oops!! That dude was innocent" after they were already dead. Just like how we've never executed any minors or any other mentally retarded people. Esp not in Texas. Nope never happens!

[smelltheglove]

The death penalty is nothing about justice, and nothing about deterrence. It's all about revenge - state sanctioned murder. However, to make a case by using a fictional character? That's just absurd!

i dont disagree with you. my bottom line issue with DP is that we have no means of applying equally or fairly to offenders. people's prejudices always get in the way, because people are human. so i dont think we will ever have such a system. equality of application is the justice part. the moral aspect is a different conversation for me