|
|
| Texas Inmate Executed Despite Insanity Claim |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 03/04/2002 |
|
Texas on Thursday put to death a man whom supporters said was insane after the nation's highest court refused to hear his 11th-hour appeal. Monty Delk, 35, was executed after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his last-minute appeal that his execution should be stayed until his sanity can be determined. His attorneys and death penalty opponents say Delk has at various times said he thinks he is the president of Kenya, a federal agent, a district judge and man who became a hero while commanding a nuclear-powered submarine during the Civil War. Late on Wednesday, a federal judge in Beaumont granted Delk a stay of execution so he could hold a hearing to determine if Delk was insane. The Supreme Court bans executions of the insane but does not define the term. Texas appealed the stay to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which lifted it four hours before Delk's scheduled execution by lethal injection. The Supreme Court a few hours later declined to take the case. Delk was condemned to die for shooting Gene 'Bubba' Allen in the head with a shotgun on Nov. 28, 1986, after taking a test drive in a Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 that Allen and his wife had advertised for sale. Delk, who had recently been evicted and had lost his Volkswagen in a card game, was arrested four days later in Winnfield, Louisiana. Delk let loose a stream of profanity after he was strapped to the gurney in the death chamber at the state prison in Huntsville, located 75 miles north of Houston. To restrain him, prison officials strapped his head to the gurney with a bandage, a step not normally taken. 'I am the warden of this unit. Get your warden off this gurney and shut up,' Delk said after the prison warden asked him if he had any last words. 'This is the island of Barbados. I very politely told you what to do. Get your warden off this gurney. People will see you doing this.' Seconds later, he gave his final gasp. Delk was the fifth person put to death this year by Texas, which leads the nation in executions. The state had executed 261 people since resuming the capital punishment in 1982, six years after a U.S. Supreme Court decision lifted a national death penalty ban. Delk made no final meal request. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Hiring an attorney can present confusing situations for someone. It’s hard to tell whether you’ll get the best service possible in your situation. You likely have a lot of questions. Will your lawyer hand off your matter to someone else? Will your lawyer return your phone calls? It’s hard to know without someone you can trust. If you been hurt in a rear end collision you need a lawyer. People in Central Texas have trusted Dunnam & Dunnam for almost 100 years for their most pressing legal concerns. They understand the value of a good advocate. They’re a family helping Waco families since 1925.