An Alabama state judge has ordered a mental health evaluation to determine if a man on death row, with a history of mental illness, is competent to be executed. The judge has temporarily stayed the execution of David Lee Roberts pending the assessment of his ‘rational understanding’ of the situation.
Roberts, convicted of the 1992 murder of Annetra Jones, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, hearing voices and displaying delusional behavior. His attorneys argue that his severe illness renders him incompetent for execution.
The Alabama Department of Mental Health is preparing a report which will determine the fate of Roberts’ execution, paused until the evaluation is complete. Roberts’ legal representatives suggest that his delusions impede his ability to comprehend the purpose of his punishment.
The U.S. Supreme Court dictates that states cannot execute individuals who are mentally incompetent and lack awareness of the impending execution and its rationale. However, states like Alabama lack a specific guideline on assessing competency for execution.
In a tragic event in 1992, Roberts, now 59, killed Annetra Jones by shooting her thrice in the head while she slept. Despite the jury recommending life imprisonment, the judge sentenced him to death, a practice that Alabama no longer permits for capital cases.
