Robert Gleason is sched­uled to be the first per­son exe­cut­ed in the U.S. in 2013 on the night of January 16 in Virginia. At his tri­al, he told the court he want­ed the death penal­ty and has waived all his appeals since his con­vic­tion. He has cho­sen to be exe­cut­ed by elec­tro­cu­tion. Gleason’s lawyers main­tain he is severe­ly men­tal­ly ill and his men­tal capac­i­ty has dete­ri­o­rat­ed dur­ing his time on death row. He suf­fers from extreme para­noia, delu­sion­al think­ing, severe anx­i­ety and oth­er men­tal afflic­tions. Attorney Jon Sheldon stat­ed that Gleason’s ​“men­tal ill­ness is caus­ing him to be sui­ci­dal, and he is enlist­ing the gov­ern­men­t’s help to end his life.” His life was described as ​“pro­found­ly dis­turbed and trau­mat­ic,” marked by abuse as a child, with depres­sion and oth­er men­tal health prob­lems as an adult. Virginia had no exe­cu­tions and no death sen­tences in 2012.

(D. Potter, ​“Robert Gleason, Inmate Who Asked to Die, Will be Executed,” Huffington Post (Associated Press), January 15, 2013. See Executions and Mental Illness.

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