Attorneys for a man who is currently on death row and who had gouged his own eyes out are asking for clemency.
According to The Associated Press, the lawyers for Andre Thomas, a mentally ill man who is scheduled to be executed on April 5, are seeking clemency . His attorneys stated that Thomas will never be competent for his scheduled execution.
Last week, Thomas’ attorneys, as well as over 100 faith leaders and dozens of mental health professionals, had requested that Gov. Greg Abbott and the
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles commute the sentence of Thomas to life in prison, or grant a reprieve so the courts can decide whether he is competent for execution.“Gov. Abbott has the power to stop the spectacle of prison guards leading a blind, mentally incompetent, delusional man to the death chamber,” said attorney Maurie Levin.
Thomas has a history of mental illness since the age of 9 when he started hearing voices. When he was 10, he tried, unsuccessfully, to commit suicide. His mental illness continued as he got older.
His attorneys stated that in March 2004, when he was 21, Thomas’ mental illness turned into violence when he killed his family in his hometown of Sherman, TX. He stabbed his estranged wife Laura Christine Boren, who was 20 at the time, their 4-year-old son Andre Lee, and her 13-month-old daughter Leyha Marie Hughes to death. He also cut out the hearts of the two children.
He told police officers that God had instructed him to commit the murders, as he believed that all three of them were demons.
Thomas was given a death sentence after the jury did not accept his insanity defense. Prosecutors stated that he was aware that his conduct was wrong and worsened his mental condition when he used drugs. For the past 15 years, he has been held at a unit south of Houston for the state’s most mentally ill prisoners .
Two times since he has been imprisoned, the 39-year-old has taken his eyes out. One time eating one of them to make sure that the government could not hear his thoughts, his attorneys said.
“A jury has spoken about what justice should be in this case. We are not going to ignore that,” said J. Kerye Ashmore, who is with the Grayson County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case.
Recent prison records revealed that as recently as December, Thomas “still hallucinate(s) constantly,” including hearing “voices ‘from a spiritual prison’ and seeking ‘angels.’”
Levin stated, “He is one of the most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history.”