(Image: AP)
The execution of an Alabama death row inmate has been postponed as the state awaits the results of a psychiatric evaluation ordered by the court. David Lee Roberts, 59, was scheduled to be executed on August 21 using nitrogen gas, a method Alabama introduced last year. However, officials announced Friday that the process cannot proceed because the psychiatric report assessing Roberts’ mental fitness will not be completed in time.
“As a result, the Department anticipates that the execution scheduled for August 21 will not occur on that date. Accordingly, the Department has halted all preparations for Mr. Roberts’ currently scheduled execution,” the Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement.
The delay follows a judge’s order last month pausing the execution until Roberts undergoes a mental evaluation. His legal team has argued that he suffers from severe mental illness, including paranoid schizophrenia, hallucinations, and delusions, making him incompetent to be executed, reports WTVY.
In a court filing, his attorneys detailed troubling behavior, including Roberts’ attempt to burn off tattoos on his arm and leg because he believed they “are trying to control his thoughts.” Roberts has been on death row since 1992, when he was convicted of killing 25-year-old Annetra Jones.
Prosecutors said Roberts was staying at the home of Jones’ boyfriend in Marion County when, on April 22, 1992, he packed his belongings, stole money, and fatally shot Jones three times in the head with a .22 caliber rifle as she slept on the couch. He then set the home on fire after dousing Jones’ body and the floor with a flammable liquid.
A jury found Roberts guilty of capital murder but voted 7-5 to sentence him to life in prison without parole. A judge overruled the jury’s decision, imposing the death penalty instead. Alabama has since abolished judicial overrides in capital sentencing, but the law was not applied retroactively.
The postponement of Roberts’ execution comes as the U.S. sees a rise in executions this year. So far, 28 men have been executed nationwide, already surpassing last year’s total of 25 and matching the number from 2018. It is the highest figure since 2015, when 28 executions were carried out.
At least nine more executions are scheduled across seven states before the end of the year.
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