Andrew Lackey is sched­uled for exe­cu­tion in Alabama on July 25, despite suf­fer­ing from men­tal ill­ness his entire life. Lackey asked for an exe­cu­tion date, even though nei­ther his state nor fed­er­al appeals have been com­plet­ed. Despite exten­sive evi­dence of seri­ous men­tal prob­lems, the tri­al judge refused to order an expert com­pe­ten­cy eval­u­a­tion, failed to inquire about med­ica­tions he is tak­ing and how they affect his men­tal state, and did not ask state offi­cials about their diag­no­sis of Lackey’s men­tal con­di­tion. After a failed sui­cide attempt, Lackey asked the state to car­ry out his exe­cu­tion. Attorneys at the Equal Justice Initiative, who had rep­re­sent­ed Andrew Lackey, recent­ly argued that the judge should not have per­mit­ted him to waive his appeals until his men­tal com­pe­ten­cy was properly evaluated.

Lackey was con­vict­ed of killing an 80-year-old man on Halloween night in 2005. Alabama has not had an exe­cu­tion since 2011. UPDATE: Lackey was exe­cut­ed on July 25.

(“State of Alabama Plans to Execute Mentally Ill Man,” Equal Justice Initiative, July 19, 2013). See Mental Illness.

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