Scott Panetti - A Severely Mentally Ill Man
Was Scheduled for Execution on February 5

Email or Call Governor Rick Perry
A federal judge has issued a 60-day stay for Panetti, so that a competency hearing can be conducted to determine his current mental health and whether or not he understands the result of his pending execution. Don't stop emailing Governor Perry. Tell him that it is time for Texas leaders to LEAD on the issue of the Death Penalty, instead of relying on the courts to provide moral leadership in Texas. Governor Perry should stop all executions and appoint a panel to investigate all the problems in the Texas death penalty system.

Office of the Governor
PO Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711-2418
Phone: (512) 463 2000
Fax: (512) 463 1849

Please email us at:admin@texasmoratorium.org and let us know that you took action, so that we can make a tally of how many people contacted the Governor.

More Info on Scott Panetti

• Panetti has an established history of mental illness which was known well before the crime leading to his conviction and death sentence. More than 11 years before his crime, Scott had an extensive and continuing history of mental illness including schizophrenia and manic depression. He was hospitalized for mental illness 14 times in 6 different hospitals before his arrest in 1992 for capital murder.

• Panetti, a clearly mentally ill man, was allowed by the trial judge to represent himself. Scott dressed up in a cowboy outfit, paraded around the courtroom and most of his defense was irrelevant or incomprehensible. Four of the jurors have stated that had an attorney represented Scott and presented clear evidence of his mental illness, they would not have voted for a death sentence. Scott’s trial judge was in no way reprimanded for allowing Scott to represent himself and continues to serve as a Texas judge.

• The appellate process has rubber stamped his conviction and death sentence. In his appeals, the state of Texas continues to find no problem with a mentally ill man who represented himself at trial and is sentenced to death. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 14-1 against clemency.