Attorneys for Robert Holsey, an inmate on death row in Georgia, have filed a clemen­cy peti­tion before the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Holsey is sched­uled to be exe­cut­ed on December 9, despite the fact that the lawyer who rep­re­sent­ed him at tri­al drank a quart of vod­ka a day and failed to present key evi­dence dur­ing the sen­tenc­ing phase of Holsey’s tri­al. The lawyer was lat­er dis­barred for embez­zling clients’ mon­ey and admit­ted that he was not fit to rep­re­sent Holsey. Holsey’s new attor­neys say that mit­i­gat­ing evi­dence of Holsey’s intel­lec­tu­al dis­abil­i­ties and abu­sive child­hood should have been pre­sent­ed to the jury and could have result­ed in a less­er sen­tence. Holsey has an IQ of about 70 and expe­ri­enced severe abuse as a child. Brian Kammer, his cur­rent attor­ney, said, ​“The home where he lived in Milledgeville was known to the neigh­bors as the tor­ture cham­ber because of the way they observed his moth­er to treat him, which was to beat him mer­ci­less.” The Board will hold Holsey’s clemen­cy hear­ing on December 8.

(R. Scott, ​“Death Row Inmate Seeks Clemency Due To ​“Drunken Trial Lawyer”,” WABE, December 3, 2014.) See Representation and Clemency.

Citation Guide