The Texas House of Representatives has again passed a measure to bar the death penalty for some people with severe mental illnesses. The bill now moves to the Senate, where its future is uncertain.
, D-Dallas, finally passed the chamber Wednesday on a 97-48 vote, a week after the measure was tentatively passed. The bill's final version precludes the death penalty for defendants diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.Rose said the bill was delayed “due to ongoing conversations we're engaging in to present a strong level of support for the proposal to the Senate.”
In October, attorneys for the state of Texas admitted that Scott Panetti is severely mentally ill, butthat he is sane enough to be executed. In his infamous 1995 murder trial, Panetti, repeatedly diagnosed as schizophrenic, represented himself, calling to the stand witnesses like Jesus Christ and John F. Kennedy. He questioned himself on the stand as “Sarge,” using a distorted voice when speaking as the spirit inside him he claimed was responsible for the murders of his in-laws.
Rose’s bill would prohibit death sentences for capital murder defendants found to have had a severe mental illness at the time of their crime, and it would tackle the issue before trial. A person with severe mental illness would be defined as someone with schizophrenia or If jurors decide a defendant qualifies as severely mentally ill, and the person is convicted of capital murder, the judge would impose an automatic sentence of life without parole. Otherwise, a separate sentencing hearing would be held to decide on either a sentence of life or death, as is typical in Texas death penalty trials.
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