
Texas executed a mentally challenged inmate on August 7th, 2012 for a crime he commited in November of 1992. Marvin Wilson was convicted of killing a drug informant and sentenced to death in April of 1994.
Wilson's lawyers challeged this ruling under the 2002 US Supreme Courts Ban for Capital Punishment for the Intellectually Disabled. However, the Supreme Court refused to intervene. Justice Scalia, the Justice that handles emergency appeals from the 5th US Circiut Court of Appeals, announced that the application for stay of execution was denied.
Photo from DPIC database
Wilson's IQ was once tested as low as 61, below the score of 70 which is considered as competent. There is some controversy behind this test score whice said that the intern executing the test was inexperienced. His application was denied behind the fact that the state has the authority to determine who is granted protection under the 2002 ban. Texas uses a series of "non-clinical" test to determine whether or not a person is mentally competent to face capital punishment. Texas is said to be the only state that uses this test method. Marvin Wilson was 54 and was pronounced dead at 6:27pm on August 7th, 2012. For more on this story, please visit the following link; http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-usa-execution-wilson-idUSBRE8761H120120808.
Wilson's lawyers challeged this ruling under the 2002 US Supreme Courts Ban for Capital Punishment for the Intellectually Disabled. However, the Supreme Court refused to intervene. Justice Scalia, the Justice that handles emergency appeals from the 5th US Circiut Court of Appeals, announced that the application for stay of execution was denied.
Photo from DPIC database
Wilson's IQ was once tested as low as 61, below the score of 70 which is considered as competent. There is some controversy behind this test score whice said that the intern executing the test was inexperienced. His application was denied behind the fact that the state has the authority to determine who is granted protection under the 2002 ban. Texas uses a series of "non-clinical" test to determine whether or not a person is mentally competent to face capital punishment. Texas is said to be the only state that uses this test method. Marvin Wilson was 54 and was pronounced dead at 6:27pm on August 7th, 2012. For more on this story, please visit the following link; http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-usa-execution-wilson-idUSBRE8761H120120808.