Texas Execution to Be Carried Out on Allegedly Mentally Impaired Man Despite Pleas From Lawyers, Public

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Robert Campbell is supposed to be put to death today. | (Photo: Texas Department of Corrections)

The State of Texas is set to carry out the first execution in the nation since the botched procedure used with Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett. Attorneys for Texas inmate Robert Campbell have filed for a stay of execution pending the results of the Oklahoma investigation and claim that Campbell is mentally impaired, even appealing to Governor Rick Perry to stop the execution, scheduled for tonight.

"New reports indicate that Mr. Campbell has been found by a highly qualified psychologist to have a diagnosis of intellectual disability with an IQ of 69," The Arc, a group that advocates for those with "intellectual and developmental disabilities" wrote to Governor Perry and members of the Texas board of pardons and paroles.

"Additional evidence suggests the state of Texas and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice withheld two prior IQ tests showing an IQ of 68 from a test during elementary school, and 71 from his prison records. In its 2002 decision in 'Atkins v. Virginia,' the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the special risk of wrongful execution faced by persons with ID (formerly termed 'mental retardation') and banned the execution of persons with ID as cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment," The Arc wrote.

Lawyers also argue that given the circumstances surrounding the death of Clayton Lockett, secrecy must be done away with and inmates deserve to know where their lethal drugs come from. They are also guaranteed the right to a swift execution, not "cruel and unusual punishment."

"Frighteningly, Texas is pursuing the path of secrecy in the midst of these deeply troubling events, and even in the immediate wake of events of Oklahoma. Information about the source of lethal injections drugs – particularly in today's fraught arena – is vital," Campbell's attorney Maurie Levin told the Associated Press.

Campbell was found guilty of and sentenced to death for the kidnapping, raping, and shooting of 20-year-old Alexandra Rendon, a bank teller. Campbell was 18 at the time of the murder and on parole for a previous robbery.

"I'm confident that the way that the executions are taken care of in the state of Texas are appropriate," Gov. Perry said in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."