No Execution for Acute Mental Patient Andre Thomas
Target:
Governor Rick Perry
Sponsored by:
ANDRE THOMAS, an acute mental patient on Texas Death Row, pulled out his only eye and ate it on January 9. An officer at the Polunsky Unit found Thomas in his cell with blood streaming down his face and took him to the infirmary. The schizophrenic inmate had already eaten his left eye in 2004 while in jail awaiting trial after killing his wife and two young children before stabbing himself in the chest.
Following the murders, this sick man walked to the Sherman Police Department and told a dispatcher what he had done. Thomas explained that he cut his family's hearts out and put them in his pocket. He then took his family's hearts home and put them into plastic bags.
A judge subsequently ruled that Thomas was competent to stand trial.
Bobbie Peterson-Cate, Thomas' trial attorney, said, "He is insane and mentally ill."
We, the undersigned petitioners, hereby make the following demands:
1) Andre Thomas must be immediately removed to a secure mental hospital and prohibited from eating any more of his body parts; and
2) Andre Thomas and all other condemned persons with a history of mental illness must be immediately and permanently rendered ineligible for capital punishment and reassigned to mental institutions for permanent containment and psychiatric treatment.
We strongly object to imprisoning people because they are mentally disturbed and executing people whose criminal offenses were caused by mental illness.
Thank you.
Following the murders, this sick man walked to the Sherman Police Department and told a dispatcher what he had done. Thomas explained that he cut his family's hearts out and put them in his pocket. He then took his family's hearts home and put them into plastic bags.
A judge subsequently ruled that Thomas was competent to stand trial.
Bobbie Peterson-Cate, Thomas' trial attorney, said, "He is insane and mentally ill."
We, the undersigned petitioners, hereby make the following demands:
1) Andre Thomas must be immediately removed to a secure mental hospital and prohibited from eating any more of his body parts; and
2) Andre Thomas and all other condemned persons with a history of mental illness must be immediately and permanently rendered ineligible for capital punishment and reassigned to mental institutions for permanent containment and psychiatric treatment.
We strongly object to imprisoning people because they are mentally disturbed and executing people whose criminal offenses were caused by mental illness.
Thank you.
ANDRE THOMAS, an acute mental patient on Texas Death Row, pulled out his only eye and ate it on January 9. An officer at the Polunsky Unit found Thomas in his cell with blood streaming down his face and took him to the infirmary. The schizophrenic inmate had already eaten his left eye in 2004 while in jail awaiting trial after killing his wife and two young children before stabbing himself in the chest.
Following the murders, this sick man walked to the Sherman Police Department and told a dispatcher what he had done. Thomas explained that he cut his family's hearts out and put them in his pocket. He then took his family's hearts home and put them into plastic bags.
A judge subsequently ruled that Thomas was competent to stand trial.
Bobbie Peterson-Cate, Thomas' trial attorney, said, "He is insane and mentally ill."
We, the undersigned petitioners, hereby make the following demands:
1) Andre Thomas must be immediately removed to a secure mental hospital and prohibited from eating any more of his body parts; and
2) Andre Thomas and all other condemned persons with a history of mental illness must be immediately and permanently rendered ineligible for capital punishment and reassigned to mental institutions for permanent containment and psychiatric treatment.
We strongly object to imprisoning people because they are mentally disturbed and executing people whose criminal offenses were caused by mental illness.
Thank you.
Following the murders, this sick man walked to the Sherman Police Department and told a dispatcher what he had done. Thomas explained that he cut his family's hearts out and put them in his pocket. He then took his family's hearts home and put them into plastic bags.
A judge subsequently ruled that Thomas was competent to stand trial.
Bobbie Peterson-Cate, Thomas' trial attorney, said, "He is insane and mentally ill."
We, the undersigned petitioners, hereby make the following demands:
1) Andre Thomas must be immediately removed to a secure mental hospital and prohibited from eating any more of his body parts; and
2) Andre Thomas and all other condemned persons with a history of mental illness must be immediately and permanently rendered ineligible for capital punishment and reassigned to mental institutions for permanent containment and psychiatric treatment.
We strongly object to imprisoning people because they are mentally disturbed and executing people whose criminal offenses were caused by mental illness.
Thank you.
Andre Thomas was wrongly condemned to execution in Texas despite having a history of acute mental illness. According to Texas State Law, Thomas is ineligible for execution.
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure - Article 46.05. - Competency to be Executed
Art. 46.05. COMPETENCY TO BE EXECUTED. (a) A person who is incompetent to be executed may not be executed.
Please immediately remove Andre Thomas and all other mentally ill inmates from Texas' death row and reassign them to secure mental health facilities for permanent containment and treatment.
Homelessness, prison, and death must cease being America's answer to mental illness.
We signed the "No Execution for Acute Mental Patient Andre Thomas" petition!
# 157:
1:32 pm PDT, Oct 22,
Luke Charles, United Kingdom
# 156:
8:59 am PDT, Oct 16,
April Browne, Canada
This man clearly can't control his actions- he is under the influence of powerful delusions, and is so out of touch with reality he killed his loved ones, carried their hearts in his pockets, and pulled out his eye and ate it. Anyone who can say with a straight face that this man is sane, legally or not, probably needs a psychiatric examination themselves.
This man clearly can't control his actions- he is under the influence of powerful delusions, and is so out of touch with reality he killed his loved ones, carried their hearts in his pockets, and pulled out his eye and ate it. Anyone who can say with a straight face that this man is sane, legally or not, probably needs a psychiatric examination themselves.
Andre Thomas needs to be hospitalized- not murdered by the state. Yes, what he did is atrocious, and no, he should not freely walk our streets, but clearly he is not sane enough to distinguish right from wrong. I'm praying for the courts to have compassion and have him hospitalized; not killed.
# 155:
12:25 pm PDT, Sep 25,
Name not displayed, Cyprus
# 154:
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9:51 am PDT, Sep 14,
Yvonne Brandhorst Jan�en, Germany
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# 153:
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7:28 pm PDT, Sep 12,
Jonathan Carroll, West Virginia
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# 152:
8:40 am PDT, Sep 12,
Mary Foley, Ireland
# 151:
4:22 am PDT, Aug 25,
Reiner Lindler, Germany
# 150:
2:24 am PDT, Aug 19,
Crystal Hawkins, Virginia
I am going through a situation with my son here in virginia where they won't een evaluate him. I think the law would rather save their jobs by incarserating mental patients than seek help for them.
I am going through a situation with my son here in virginia where they won't een evaluate him. I think the law would rather save their jobs by incarserating mental patients than seek help for them.
# 149:
4:59 am PDT, Jun 26,
Babette Irgmaier, Germany
# 148:
5:15 pm PDT, Jun 21,
Darlene Begin, Connecticut
# 147:
2:39 pm PDT, Jun 12,
Paul Bruce-joy, United Kingdom
# 146:
10:40 pm PDT, Jun 11,
Sinthia Hegarty, Pennsylvania
You cannot hold a severely mentally ill person responsible for their actions. They respond to command hallucinations....they fight taking medication because they are delusional and they really believe that they will be poisoned. I am a psychiatric nurse and have been in the mental health field for 33 years so I know what mental illness is. I also know what games are played by insurance companies and the courts. To execute a mentally ill person is immoral. A person can have a sense of right and wrong but when you are psychotic that knowledge goes out the window...The laws and the way we treat mentally ill people who are resistive or afraid of treatment have to be totally revamped. Also as in Texas a person cannot claim a insanity defense if they abuse alcohol or drugs. Mentally ill people self medicate with street drugs and alcohol because alot of the psychiatric medications come with difficult to tolerate side effects, also these people usually are uninsured so they are quickly discharged from psychiatric facilities before they are well and before there are decent, practical aftercare plans for them. This entire subject makes me so angry. We are suppose to be intelligent people in the United States...sometimes I wonder if we are intelligent at all..
You cannot hold a severely mentally ill person responsible for their actions. They respond to command hallucinations....they fight taking medication because they are delusional and they really believe that they will be poisoned. I am a psychiatric nurse and have been in the mental health field for 33 years so I know what mental illness is. I also know what games are played by insurance companies and the courts. To execute a mentally ill person is immoral. A person can have a sense of right and wrong but when you are psychotic that knowledge goes out the window...The laws and the way we treat mentally ill people who are resistive or afraid of treatment have to be totally revamped. Also as in Texas a person cannot claim a insanity defense if they abuse alcohol or drugs. Mentally ill people self medicate with street drugs and alcohol because alot of the psychiatric medications come with difficult to tolerate side effects, also these people usually are uninsured so they are quickly discharged from psychiatric facilities before they are well and before there are decent, practical aftercare plans for them. This entire subject makes me so angry. We are suppose to be intelligent people in the United States...sometimes I wonder if we are intelligent at all..
# 145:
3:22 pm PDT, Apr 17,
Deb Andrews, Australia
# 144:
10:59 am PDT, Apr 12,
Mourti Koppenburg, France
What a terrible story. Help this poor man with love and compassion to regain peace in his heart instead of killing him. Mental sickness is also a product of our society interested only in making money and career.
What a terrible story. Help this poor man with love and compassion to regain peace in his heart instead of killing him. Mental sickness is also a product of our society interested only in making money and career.
# 143:
1:20 pm PDT, Apr 11,
Patrick Genest, France
# 142:
1:17 pm PDT, Apr 11,
Brunhilde Koppenburg, France
# 141:
8:28 am PDT, Apr 11,
Yvette Holden, United Kingdom
this man belongs in hospital it beggars belief that he is facing the executioner texas is rightly put along side iran and china put this man in hospital where he belongs
this man belongs in hospital it beggars belief that he is facing the executioner texas is rightly put along side iran and china put this man in hospital where he belongs
# 140:
5:23 am PDT, Mar 23,
N Alvernhe, France
La peine de mort n’est pas une solution appropriée pour un pays comme les Etats-Unis « grande puissance mondiale », qui exécute régulièrement des innocents et des malades mentaux. Je pense qu’il serait grand temps que l’Etat du Texas consente à ce que chaque personne soit jugée équitablement avec des avocats compétents (car tout le monde est au courant que dans le couloir de la mort, il n’y a pas de détenu riche et que par conséquent ils n’ont aucun moyen réel de défense) et non des avocats commis d’office qui pour certains n’ont cure de savoir si leur client est innocent ou pas, s’il est libéré ou condamné à la peine capitale. Et surtout accordez aux détenus du couloir de la mort des conditions de détention humaine (repas adéquat, équilibré ; récréation en extérieur « avec soleil direct » en groupe ; travail ; visite avec contact ; télévision ; courrier distribué dans les temps ; respect du détenu « arrêt des violences physiques et psychologiques, arrêt des destructions automatiquement de leur biens personnels » ; possibilité de téléphoner régulièrement à leur proche ; soins adaptés) ces petites choses très faciles à mettre en place et qui contribueraient à ce que beaucoup ne sombrent dans la folie, au suicide « comme Michael Dewayne Johnson, Jésus Flores, entre autres » ou mutilation physique comme l’a fait Andre Thomas. Alors s’il vous plaît permettez à Andre Thomas d’être soigné convenablement dans un hôpital adéquat et non le condamner à mort.
La peine de mort n’est pas une solution appropriée pour un pays comme les Etats-Unis « grande puissance mondiale », qui exécute régulièrement des innocents et des malades mentaux. Je pense qu’il serait grand temps que l’Etat du Texas consente à ce que chaque personne soit jugée équitablement avec des avocats compétents (car tout le monde est au courant que dans le couloir de la mort, il n’y a pas de détenu riche et que par conséquent ils n’ont aucun moyen réel de défense) et non des avocats commis d’office qui pour certains n’ont cure de savoir si leur client est innocent ou pas, s’il est libéré ou condamné à la peine capitale. Et surtout accordez aux détenus du couloir de la mort des conditions de détention humaine (repas adéquat, équilibré ; récréation en extérieur « avec soleil direct » en groupe ; travail ; visite avec contact ; télévision ; courrier distribué dans les temps ; respect du détenu « arrêt des violences physiques et psychologiques, arrêt des destructions automatiquement de leur biens personnels » ; possibilité de téléphoner régulièrement à leur proche ; soins adaptés) ces petites choses très faciles à mettre en place et qui contribueraient à ce que beaucoup ne sombrent dans la folie, au suicide « comme Michael Dewayne Johnson, Jésus Flores, entre autres » ou mutilation physique comme l’a fait Andre Thomas. Alors s’il vous plaît permettez à Andre Thomas d’être soigné convenablement dans un hôpital adéquat et non le condamner à mort.
# 139:
12:26 pm PDT, Mar 19,
Ingrid Gassner-Al-Ammoush, Germany
# 138:
1:37 pm PDT, Mar 18,
Line Llao, France
# 137:
8:21 pm PDT, Mar 9,
Adam Fels, Pennsylvania
# 136:
11:40 am PST, Mar 4,
Aaeron Robb, Maryland
# 135:
3:11 pm PST, Feb 19,
Ange Barrett, United Kingdom
# 134:
6:50 pm PST, Feb 16,
Teri Mostmo, North Carolina
# 133:
2:56 am PST, Feb 5,
Amy O'Sullivan, Texas
I understand that Ford V Wainwright made it unconstitutional to execute individuals such as Mr.Thomas. However, their flaw was allowing each state to define what insane was. Here is Texas when we allow people with such mental illness to fly under the radar of "sanity" we obviously need the Surpreme Court to give us a a definition. Our current Gov. Perry has refused to define it stating that we do not convict or execute the mentally ill, disturbed or delayed so we don't need to concern ourselves with worry about this particular definition. After hearing about so many cases, and those cases that do actually get executed, one can only wonder the mental state of those who carry out justice in our names. I can think of several men on death row right now who are severe schizophrenics that are not being allowed to be transferred to the mental housing unit for treatment, but remain in the regular death row population when they spiral further downward. it is estimate that 15-20% of men on death row are taking medication for some sort of mental illness. After you understand their living condition year after year, how some rock back and forth through a slit in their cell they call a "window" like lab animal gone mad. I'm sure that is enough to make the ones that enter sane go into mental illness. This i'm sure makes the job much more difficult on the guard and dangerous for the staff. All human contact has been denied as well, unlike general pupolation. for these reasons we need to tret the natural psychiatric patients, which is more cost effective and abolish capital punishment (also more effective; and they can get life w/o parole so we don't have to worry about particular people). people can reintegrate, work, move, stretch, and that does so much for brain function, activity, along with dopamine and endorphins. Please give Mr. Andre Thomas a commutation. Although Perry you may not know insane, but this might give you a clue an perhaps motivation to re-think your positions on how you treat your mentally ill death row members, and even the death row members who enter who entr more sane (though what sane person kills, I don't know...but innocent people are in there, too) either way, many become depressed and wind up an antidepressants. Think about the danger your guards are in everyday as they are doing the best they can do. I urge you to stop this maddness.
I understand that Ford V Wainwright made it unconstitutional to execute individuals such as Mr.Thomas. However, their flaw was allowing each state to define what insane was. Here is Texas when we allow people with such mental illness to fly under the radar of "sanity" we obviously need the Surpreme Court to give us a a definition. Our current Gov. Perry has refused to define it stating that we do not convict or execute the mentally ill, disturbed or delayed so we don't need to concern ourselves with worry about this particular definition. After hearing about so many cases, and those cases that do actually get executed, one can only wonder the mental state of those who carry out justice in our names. I can think of several men on death row right now who are severe schizophrenics that are not being allowed to be transferred to the mental housing unit for treatment, but remain in the regular death row population when they spiral further downward. it is estimate that 15-20% of men on death row are taking medication for some sort of mental illness. After you understand their living condition year after year, how some rock back and forth through a slit in their cell they call a "window" like lab animal gone mad. I'm sure that is enough to make the ones that enter sane go into mental illness. This i'm sure makes the job much more difficult on the guard and dangerous for the staff. All human contact has been denied as well, unlike general pupolation. for these reasons we need to tret the natural psychiatric patients, which is more cost effective and abolish capital punishment (also more effective; and they can get life w/o parole so we don't have to worry about particular people). people can reintegrate, work, move, stretch, and that does so much for brain function, activity, along with dopamine and endorphins. Please give Mr. Andre Thomas a commutation. Although Perry you may not know insane, but this might give you a clue an perhaps motivation to re-think your positions on how you treat your mentally ill death row members, and even the death row members who enter who entr more sane (though what sane person kills, I don't know...but innocent people are in there, too) either way, many become depressed and wind up an antidepressants. Think about the danger your guards are in everyday as they are doing the best they can do. I urge you to stop this maddness.
# 132:
10:28 pm PST, Feb 2,
Mirella Burgess, Australia
# 131:
3:39 pm PST, Jan 31,
Ute Benz, Germany
# 130:
1:31 pm PST, Jan 27,
Alexander Fritsch, Germany
# 129:
3:05 am PST, Jan 26,
Anita Kofta, Wisconsin
# 128:
11:52 am PST, Jan 23,
Donna Douglas-Henderson, Iowa
# 127:
2:08 am PST, Jan 23,
Jennie Dobson, United Kingdom
# 126:
2:06 am PST, Jan 23,
Name not displayed, Alaska
# 125:
7:11 pm PST, Jan 21,
Name not displayed, Wisconsin
# 124:
11:34 am PST, Jan 21,
Silky Wylder, Wisconsin
# 123:
10:09 pm PST, Jan 20,
Eternal Optimist, Australia
# 122:
12:27 pm PST, Jan 19,
Meg Fullam, Georgia
# 121:
10:56 am PST, Jan 19,
Emilie Artaud, France
# 120:
6:47 am PST, Jan 19,
Jason Kyriakides, Texas
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) is an organization with the purpose of decriminalizing mental illness. Approximately 1.25 million of America's prisoners are mental patients who are wrongly incarcerated.
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) is an organization with the purpose of decriminalizing mental illness. Approximately 1.25 million of America's prisoners are mental patients who are wrongly incarcerated.
Andre Thomas, like other mentally ill inmates, deserves treatment in a mental care facility, rather than being left to languish and eventually be executed in prison. We cannot solve the mental problems of our country with incarceration or execution.
# 119:
12:54 am PST, Jan 19,
David Riley, United Kingdom
Whilst I could never understand or imagine what this mans mental turmoil could ever be like? I do not make my signature to stop his execution lightly. Many lives will have been affected by the actions he has taken and all to the negative and I could understand any public out cry for his execution. And though he may not want any kind of help while he lives there is always a chance he may find peace in his heart and forgiveness from God. To execute him would deny him this fundamental right. I know there will be many who would disagree with my statement and would have good reason to but a life is given to us as a gift from God. It is not ours to take away!
Whilst I could never understand or imagine what this mans mental turmoil could ever be like? I do not make my signature to stop his execution lightly. Many lives will have been affected by the actions he has taken and all to the negative and I could understand any public out cry for his execution. And though he may not want any kind of help while he lives there is always a chance he may find peace in his heart and forgiveness from God. To execute him would deny him this fundamental right. I know there will be many who would disagree with my statement and would have good reason to but a life is given to us as a gift from God. It is not ours to take away!
# 118:
5:40 pm PST, Jan 18,
Stefanie Collins, Arkansas
I'm Andre's pen pal and have been for over a year. He is a very sick individual. Access to quality mental health care with dignity would have prevented these terrible crimes. However, I must disagree with the twice made assertion that he ate his eyes. I don't think we should assert this as fact necessarily. We don't know exactly what happened to his eyes after he removed them. That detail has made it into the media's coverage for obvious reasons; it makes the story that much sensational. We don't need more sensation surrounding mental illness in this country; we need less.
I'm Andre's pen pal and have been for over a year. He is a very sick individual. Access to quality mental health care with dignity would have prevented these terrible crimes. However, I must disagree with the twice made assertion that he ate his eyes. I don't think we should assert this as fact necessarily. We don't know exactly what happened to his eyes after he removed them. That detail has made it into the media's coverage for obvious reasons; it makes the story that much sensational. We don't need more sensation surrounding mental illness in this country; we need less.
# 117:
8:25 am PST, Jan 18,
Annelies Ooms, Belgium
# 116:
5:24 am PST, Jan 18,
Julia Tawyea', Pennsylvania
# 115:
12:56 am PST, Jan 17,
Pam Boland, Georgia
# 114:
3:51 pm PST, Jan 16,
Fire Fairy, United Kingdom
# 113:
3:01 pm PST, Jan 16,
Rose Rose, United Arab Emirates
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) is an organization with the purpose of decriminalizing mental illness. Approximately 1.25 million of America's prisoners are mental patients who are wrongly incarcerated when they should either be i
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) is an organization with the purpose of decriminalizing mental illness. Approximately 1.25 million of America's prisoners are mental patients who are wrongly incarcerated when they should either be i
Are we so heartless that we kill people for being sick, and why do taxpayers pay around $150,000 per year for EACH sick prisoner when psychiatric treatment is much cheaper and more humane?
# 112:
2:48 pm PST, Jan 15,
Alexis Duran, California
This is the most horrible situation,I have ever heard~how can this ever be allowed~this man needs to be in a strict healing treatment center,not run by the Department of Corrections~~Decrepit over-crowded prison environments are not a place for the mentally ill~~prisons create mental illnesses~~Guards are not trained to be doctors,nurses or psychiatrists~~their training is quite the opposite~~Removal of the mentally ill,from all prisons is absolutely necessary !!Medical treatments centers,with a healing staff needs,to be created.Judges should not be sentencing the mentally ill to prisons,knowing there is no treatment in prisons,this is a premeditated crime in it self !!
This is the most horrible situation,I have ever heard~how can this ever be allowed~this man needs to be in a strict healing treatment center,not run by the Department of Corrections~~Decrepit over-crowded prison environments are not a place for the mentally ill~~prisons create mental illnesses~~Guards are not trained to be doctors,nurses or psychiatrists~~their training is quite the opposite~~Removal of the mentally ill,from all prisons is absolutely necessary !!Medical treatments centers,with a healing staff needs,to be created.Judges should not be sentencing the mentally ill to prisons,knowing there is no treatment in prisons,this is a premeditated crime in it self !!
# 111:
9:26 am PST, Jan 15,
KATHLEEN KIRK, New Jersey
# 110:
10:28 pm PST, Jan 14,
Amy Spooner, Vermont
I believe that as horrific as this crime is and so sad...this man should not be put to death. Acting as God and killing him is the same as commiting murder...I believe that God will judge him accordingly and that should leave his fate in God's hands. My heart goes out to the family of his vicitms. I myself have a family member who was murdered and I know first hand the pain and the hole that is left in ones heart...I will pray for them that they can somehow know peace from their sadness.
I believe that as horrific as this crime is and so sad...this man should not be put to death. Acting as God and killing him is the same as commiting murder...I believe that God will judge him accordingly and that should leave his fate in God's hands. My heart goes out to the family of his vicitms. I myself have a family member who was murdered and I know first hand the pain and the hole that is left in ones heart...I will pray for them that they can somehow know peace from their sadness.
# 109:
12:16 am PST, Jan 14,
Franz Kurz, Germany
# 108:
11:04 pm PST, Jan 13,
BiLL Fowlie, Maine
# 107:
7:30 pm PST, Jan 13,
Hubert Delgrange, France
# 106:
1:57 pm PST, Jan 13,
PERIN ISABELLE, France
# 105:
12:32 pm PST, Jan 13,
Joann Shanks, California
# 104:
11:15 am PST, Jan 13,
Roxie Schliesman, Wisconsin
# 103:
10:29 am PST, Jan 13,
Mike Antone, Arizona
# 102:
9:32 am PST, Jan 13,
Karen Sheaffer, Pennsylvania
# 101:
8:54 am PST, Jan 13,
Federicko Hegmann, Germany
