In 2004, 39-year-old Andre Thomas was found guilty of killing his family. At a press conference, his attorney Maurie Levin described him as “one of the most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history.”
What Happened ?
Due to his mental illness, the attorneys for a death row inmate who killed his wife, son, and stepdaughter in Texas then gouged out his own eyes sought authorities on Wednesday for clemency.
In 2004, 39-year-old Andre Thomas was found guilty of killing his family. At a press conference, his attorney Maurie Levin described him as “one of the most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history.”
Thomas tried suicide two days prior to the killings and was admitted to the hospital, where medical professionals determined that he suffered from mental illness. However, his attorneys claim that after being left alone for a short while, Thomas walked away.
He removed his right eye while being held under detention five days after the act, claiming, according to his attorneys, that he was carrying out a religious command.
Extreme Psychotic
He removed and swallowed his other eye while he was on death row because he was “afraid the government could see his thoughts,” according to reports.
Photo: CNN
Thomas’s execution is scheduled for April 5 of this year. His attorneys have requested that Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the state’s pardons panel postpone it while Thomas is assessed to determine whether he is suitable.
Additionally, they tried to have his sentence reduced to life in prison. “The US Supreme Court has made unequivocally clear that the Eighth Amendment prohibits the execution of prisoners who, like Mr Thomas are insane and do not understand why they are being executed,” Levin stated.
Additionally, they claimed that racism had poisoned the process in a statement posted on the Legal Defense Fund website. Laura Boren, Thomas’s estranged wife, is white, while Thomas is Black. The attorneys contended that the jury comprised solely of white people and that the trial inflamed racist tensions.
