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| Wyo. Asks Court to Determine Death Row Inmate's Competency |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/03/2003 |
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The Wyoming Department of Corrections has asked a court to determine the competency of convicted serial killer Roberto Arguelles, who is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on June 27. Mike Chabries, the department's executive director, said Monday that the department has been involved in an assessment of Arguelles for several weeks, and in view of the pending execution, he has decided to refer the matter to the court. A letter from Chabries was filed with 3rd District Judge Michael Burton, who will hold a hearing on Wednesday. A 1994 state law requires the department to notify the court immediately if there is good cause to believe a death row inmate is incompetent. Chabries and Kirk Torgensen, chief deputy Utah attorney general, refused further comment, citing in part the confidentiality of Arguelles' medical and mental health records. Last week, defense attorney Ed Brass asked the court to stay Arguelles' execution for several reasons, including the issue of whether he is competent, Arguelles' last court-ordered evaluation was in 2000, after he tried to hang himself with a laundry bag and was briefly in a coma. Two psychiatrists and a neuropsychologist determined he was competent. However, in March 2001, Karen Stam, an attorney who formerly represented Arguelles, wrote to the Utah Supreme Court that Arguelles ''continues to deteriorate mentally, collecting and eating feces regularly.'' That behavior was among several reasons cited by Brass last week in seeking a new evaluation. ''I'm relieved,'' Brass said Monday of Chabries' action. Brass also has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a review of the Utah Supreme Court's decisions in the case and has until June 15 to file arguments. Arguelles, 41, is on death row for kidnapping, sexually abusing and murdering a woman and three teenage girls while on parole in 1992. The victims were Margo Bond, 42, Stephanie Blundell, 13, Lisa Martinez, 16, and Tuesday Roberts, 14. He pleaded guilty to four counts of capital murder. |
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