Scott Panetti is a death row inmate in Texas,
who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
and believes he is at the center of a struggle between God and Satan.
The state has continued to insist he is competent to be executed.
Panetti represented himself at his trial, appearing in court wearing a
cowboy outfit and making bizarre, rambling statements. He attempted to
subpoena Jesus Christ, the pope, and 200 others. He was convicted and
sentenced to death. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Panetti a
rehearing on his claim of incompetence, saying that the state's
definition of insanity was too restrictive. The state has maintained
that because Panetti acknowledges he is being executed for the murder of
his in-laws, he is sane enough to be executed. Pointing to the
testimony of psychiatric experts, his lawyers have argued the state's
simple cause-and-effect criterion is insufficient to establish sanity,
especially considering that Panetti views his crime through a lens of
delusion. They have asked the Supreme Court to again consider the case,
arguing that the state's definition is still overly restrictive and
ignores the complete picture presented by Panetti's history of serious
mental illness. Monday, October 6, 2014
Supreme Court Again Asked to Consider Competence to be Executed in Texas Case
Supreme Court Again Asked to Consider Competence to be Executed in Texas CasePosted: September 29, 2014
Scott Panetti is a death row inmate in Texas,
who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
and believes he is at the center of a struggle between God and Satan.
The state has continued to insist he is competent to be executed.
Panetti represented himself at his trial, appearing in court wearing a
cowboy outfit and making bizarre, rambling statements. He attempted to
subpoena Jesus Christ, the pope, and 200 others. He was convicted and
sentenced to death. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Panetti a
rehearing on his claim of incompetence, saying that the state's
definition of insanity was too restrictive. The state has maintained
that because Panetti acknowledges he is being executed for the murder of
his in-laws, he is sane enough to be executed. Pointing to the
testimony of psychiatric experts, his lawyers have argued the state's
simple cause-and-effect criterion is insufficient to establish sanity,
especially considering that Panetti views his crime through a lens of
delusion. They have asked the Supreme Court to again consider the case,
arguing that the state's definition is still overly restrictive and
ignores the complete picture presented by Panetti's history of serious
mental illness.
Scott Panetti is a death row inmate in Texas,
who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
and believes he is at the center of a struggle between God and Satan.
The state has continued to insist he is competent to be executed.
Panetti represented himself at his trial, appearing in court wearing a
cowboy outfit and making bizarre, rambling statements. He attempted to
subpoena Jesus Christ, the pope, and 200 others. He was convicted and
sentenced to death. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Panetti a
rehearing on his claim of incompetence, saying that the state's
definition of insanity was too restrictive. The state has maintained
that because Panetti acknowledges he is being executed for the murder of
his in-laws, he is sane enough to be executed. Pointing to the
testimony of psychiatric experts, his lawyers have argued the state's
simple cause-and-effect criterion is insufficient to establish sanity,
especially considering that Panetti views his crime through a lens of
delusion. They have asked the Supreme Court to again consider the case,
arguing that the state's definition is still overly restrictive and
ignores the complete picture presented by Panetti's history of serious
mental illness. 
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