[WCADP-list] National Execution Alerts for June

Thu Jun 1 10:00:45 PDT 2006

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

e - @ b o l i t i o n i s t

June 2006

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Six Executions Scheduled in June

During the first and final weeks of June, six people are scheduled to be
executed, half of whom are in Texas. Two cases this month highlight issues
of severe mental illness.

The first is Percy Walton, scheduled to be executed by the state of Virginia
on June 8th. Walton has been diagnosed with severe chronic schizophrenia and
is unable to comprehend his impending execution.

The second is Paul Dennis Reid, scheduled to be executed by the state of
Tennessee on June 28th. The TN Supreme Court has conceded Reid's mental
illness and incompetence, yet the execution is still set to take place. 

Read more about these and the other cases below -- and ACT!

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Do Not Execute Percy Walton!

Throughout his appeals, Walton's attorneys have argued that he was not
competent to plead guilty to the murders, and that his pleas were not
knowing, intelligent, and voluntary. While awaiting trial, Walton expressed
his belief that he could not be seen if he had his eyes closed. He also told
his relatives he was Jesus Christ and that he was a millionaire. He told
others he looked forward to his execution because then he would be able to
return to life immediately and resurrect his dead family members. 

In 1999, a psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist and a neurologist assessed
Walton's mental health for his appeals and found that he suffers from severe
chronic schizophrenia. Today Walton is a shell of a human being, severely
mentally ill and cognitively impaired and completely unaware that he faces
imminent execution.

ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Tim Kaine requesting that he stop the execution
of Percey Walton! 

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Do Not Execute Paul Reid! 

Questions regarding Reid's competency to be executed lie at the heart of his
case.  Reid has a history of mental illness, but no court has found him to
be mentally incompetent despite the evidence of such illness staring them in
the face.  Notably, in a reply to the state's opposition to Reid's motion
for a stay of execution in October of 2005 the Tennessee Supreme Court
stated: "All forensic mental health evaluators who have examined Mr. Reid
within the last several years have found him to be severely mentally ill and
incompetent with regard to making legal decisions."  Moreover, in a footnote
to this statement, the Court noted that Reid is operating under a psychotic
belief that he is being tortured by scientific technology and that the only
way to escape the torture is to succumb to execution.  

How can a court that recognizes the reality of Reid's mental illness and
incompetency allow Reid's execution to move forward?  The Tennessee Supreme
Court goes on to acknowledge the importance of competency, stating that it
is a fundamental right, and that therefore Reid is entitled to the proper
protection when the state proposes to take drastic action against him.  If
this was a worthy reason to grant a stay in October, what has changed since
then to allow the execution to proceed?

ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Phil Bredesen and asking that Paul Reid's
execution be halted!  

Read More and Take Action at:
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http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3
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867 

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See and act on all current Execution Alerts at

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http://www.ncadp.org/execution_alerts.html>
http://www.ncadp.org/execution_alerts.html

June 1: John Boltz, OK

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June 6: Timothy Titsworth, TX

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 June 8: Percy Walton, VA

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June 20: Lamont Reese, TX

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June 27: Angel Resendiz, TX 
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866
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June 28: Paul Reid, TX 
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867
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The Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
It's easy to support the death penalty when you don't have all the facts
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