Ohio man excuted after vulgar last gesture

[deafskeptic]

if Rockin Robin's crack addict had been a member of my own family, I would have done much the same thing as Rockin Robin.

Now, if I had relatives who suffered from serious mental illness or moderate mental retardation who did a similar deed, I would have pleaded mercy and/or treatment for the mental illness or rehabitation on the behalf of my relative depending on if he's mentally ill or moderately retarded.

 

[rockin'robin]

Where did it say he had the mind of a 10 year old?....He fathered 3 children, the oldest was 17...so my guess was that he did hold down a job? Was he on medication?...Nowhere did I read anything about that.

And indeed, if he were on medication, then stopped taking it, who's fault is that? The children's or society?....many killers are mentally ill, stop taking their meds, and commit horrific crimes. And we are expected to "coddle" them for it? No way....

There are many questions in this case that have not been answered, and perhaps the only people than can honestly answer them is the man's wife and family....I see no where in the news article that they were against the execution.

 

[jillio]

Where did it say he had the mind of a 10 year old?....He fathered 3 children, the oldest was 17...so my guess was that he did hold down a job? Was he on medication?...Nowhere did I read anything about that.

And indeed, if he were on medication, then stopped taking it, who's fault is that? The children's or society?....many killers are mentally ill, stop taking their meds, and commit horrific crimes. And we are expected to "coddle" them for it? No way....

There are many questions in this case that have not been answered, and perhaps the only people than can honestly answer them is the man's wife and family....I see no where in the news article that they were against the execution.

Here are the facts of the case. This man was severely mentally ill prior to commission of his crime. We know what was in his head at the time, as it has been documented. He was totally out of touch with reality and consumed with conspiracies that were being perpetrated against him that included his wife and his co-workers. He believed his family was poisoning him and that his co-workers were assisting. He believed many more things that make virtually no sense which is evidence of his complete break with reality and decent into severe psychosis. He has continued to suffer psychosis. Meds can mediate the effects of psychosis, but they rarely relieve all symptoms: hence the psychotic individual's frequent hospitalizations.

Evidence of his psychotic state was withheld from the 3 judge panel that recommended death. One of the judges that sat on that panel has stated publicly that he would not have voted for the death sentence had that information been available to him. In other words, the man would have been sentenced to life without parole instead of death.

The justice system has publicly recongized that this man has been severely mentally ill the entire time he was in custody.

His mental illness is not in question. His guilt is not in question. What is in question is the execution of a mentally ill inmate who cannot fully comprehend what is happening and why. The Supreme Court, in 1986 ruled that the execution of mentally retarded and severely mentally ill inmates was illegal.

A schizophrenic is slave to their delusions and their halucinations. If they stop taking their medication, they are not responsible for doing what their illness has commanded they do. That is why they are treated with humane measures.

Like I said, we are not talking about an addict, we are not talking about someone with depression, we are talking about an individual with a severe psychotic illness.

I would challenge a few here to spend some time with psychotic individuals, and then come back and tell me how responsible, in control, and able to make decisions based on reality these individuals are.

 

[Jiro]

Where did it say he had the mind of a 10 year old?....He fathered 3 children, the oldest was 17...so my guess was that he did hold down a job? Was he on medication?...Nowhere did I read anything about that.

about mental retardation - I wasn't referring to this guy.

And indeed, if he were on medication, then stopped taking it, who's fault is that? The children's or society?....many killers are mentally ill, stop taking their meds, and commit horrific crimes. And we are expected to "coddle" them for it? No way....

I've never said anything about coddling them. I only have a problem with executing those with mental retardation/illness. they belong to mental institution.

why is it difficult for you to understand that people with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia can have a job or have a family? that's just as bad as hearing people not believing that deaf people can have family or drive a car.

 

[deafskeptic]

Here are the facts of the case. This man was severely mentally ill prior to commission of his crime. We know what was in his head at the time, as it has been documented. He was totally out of touch with reality and consumed with conspiracies that were being perpetrated against him that included his wife and his co-workers. He believed his family was poisoning him and that his co-workers were assisting. He believed many more things that make virtually no sense which is evidence of his complete break with reality and decent into severe psychosis. He has continued to suffer psychosis. Meds can mediate the effects of psychosis, but they rarely relieve all symptoms: hence the psychotic individual's frequent hospitalizations.

Evidence of his psychotic state was withheld from the 3 judge panel that recommended death. One of the judges that sat on that panel has stated publicly that he would not have voted for the death sentence had that information been available to him. In other words, the man would have been sentenced to life without parole instead of death.

The justice system has publicly recongized that this man has been severely mentally ill the entire time he was in custody.

His mental illness is not in question. His guilt is not in question. What is in question is the execution of a mentally ill inmate who cannot fully comprehend what is happening and why. The Supreme Court, in 1986 ruled that the execution of mentally retarded and severely mentally ill inmates was illegal.

A schizophrenic is slave to their delusions and their halucinations. If they stop taking their medication, they are not responsible for doing what their illness has commanded they do. That is why they are treated with humane measures.

Like I said, we are not talking about an addict, we are not talking about someone with depression, we are talking about an individual with a severe psychotic illness.

I would challenge a few here to spend some time with psychotic individuals, and then come back and tell me how responsible, in control, and able to make decisions based on reality these individuals are.

I've spent time with a roommate at either MSSD or VSDB who cleary had mental problems. She was obbessed with David Soul (some minor actor) and she would send care packages to him and talk to his picture every night. When I asked her why, she told me that he spoke to her through his picture.

 

[jillio]

I've spent time with a roommate at either MSSD or VSDB who cleary had mental problems. She was obbessed with David Soul (some minor actor) and she would send care packages to him and talk to his picture every night. When I asked her why, she told me that he spoke to her through his picture.

So you have some understanding.

 

[Babyblue]

Washingtonpost.com: The Insanity Defense: A Closer Look

Has the standard changed?
It gets periodic review, especially after a verdict the public finds shocking. After the Hinckley ruling, Congress and some states, including Maryland, passed laws designed to toughen standards in insanity defenses. Instead of requiring prosecutors to prove a defendant's sanity, defense attrorneys now carry the burden of persuading a judge or jury their clients are insane

 

[jillio]

Washingtonpost.com: The Insanity Defense: A Closer Look

We are not talking about the insanity defense. How many times do I have to say that? This is not about his trial or his conviction.:roll: The insanity defense has absolutely nothing to do with this case.

 

[Babyblue]

We are not talking about the insanity defense. How many times do I have to say that? This is not about his trial or his conviction.:roll: The insanity defense has absolutely nothing to do with this case.

Apparently you do not see the purpose of me posting what I quoted. Everyone blaming the prosecutor for withholding information. It is the defense responsiblity to provide evidence and prove what he needs to prove.

Who are you to say? You can say it as many times you want. If he was declared insane or schizophrenic he would have been found not guilty by reason of insanity. So it has a lot to do with this case.

 

[deafskeptic]

So you have some understanding.

Not a whole a lot, I'm afraid. If my roommate is any example, I don't envy the families of mentally ill relatives as it must be exhausting and mentally draining at times..

 

[jillio]

Apparently you do not see the purpose of me posting what I quoted. Everyone blaming the prosecutor for withholding information. It is the defense responsiblity to provide evidence and prove what he needs to prove.

Who are you to say? You can say it as many times you want. If he was declared insane or schizophrenic he would have been found not guilty by reason of insanity. So it has a lot to do with this case.

You have no idea what the criteria for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict requires. The number of people who can meet that criteria are few to none. More likely is a guilty, but insane verdict.

The courts don't declare him schizophrenic. The mental health professionals do. That is then taken into consideration at sentencing. The information was withheld at sentencing.

Likewise, it has been admitted by the courts and his jailers that he was suffering from a psychotic illness. They failed to take that into account when executing as opposed to the ruling by the Supreme Court.

There is no question if this man suffered from a psychotic illness. That has been established. There is no question of his guilt. That has been established. No one is arguing that. They are arguing the legality and the morality of executing a mentally ill person who is out of touch with reality and cannot comprehend the punishment being inflicted.

 

[jillio]

Not a whole a lot, I'm afraid. If my roommate is any example, I don't envy the families of mentally ill relatives as it must be exhausting and mentally draining at times..

Yes, it is. Imagine living your life with voiced commanding you to certain actions, not being able to ignore those voices, and family members who have to deal with that.

And people around here complain about tinnitus.

It is beyond me why people keep bringing up the insanity defense when it has virtually nothing to do with this execution, or why they continue to make irrelevent arguments regarding his defense. They are totally ignoring the fact that one of the judges on the 3 judge panel has stated publicly he would not have voted for the death penaly had he had the information that was withheld that clarified this man's illness and mental status. He would never have been sentenced to death, based on the evidence of his severe psychotic illness, had the information not been withheld.

The fact still remains that withheld evidence regarding his mental status is directly responsible for the death sentence in this case. As a result, his sentence should have been commuted to life without parole because the justice system clearly made grave errors based on withheld information.

 

[Babyblue]

You have no idea what the criteria for a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict requires. The number of people who can meet that criteria are few to none. More likely is a guilty, but insane verdict.

The courts don't declare him schizophrenic. The mental health professionals do. That is then taken into consideration at sentencing. The information was withheld at sentencing.

Likewise, it has been admitted by the courts and his jailers that he was suffering from a psychotic illness. They failed to take that into account when executing as opposed to the ruling by the Supreme Court.

There is no question if this man suffered from a psychotic illness. That has been established. There is no question of his guilt. That has been established. No one is arguing that. They are arguing the legality and the morality of executing a mentally ill person who is out of touch with reality and cannot comprehend the punishment being inflicted.

Bold print.. by whom?

I do not believe he was schizophrenic. Neither did the courts.

 

[deafskeptic]

Yes, it is. Imagine living your life with voiced commanding you to certain actions, not being able to ignore those voices, and family members who have to deal with that.

And people around here complain about tinnitus.

It is beyond me why people keep bringing up the insanity defense when it has virtually nothing to do with this execution, or why they continue to make irrelevent arguments regarding his defense. They are totally ignoring the fact that one of the judges on the 3 judge panel has stated publicly he would not have voted for the death penaly had he had the information that was withheld that clarified this man's illness and mental status. He would never have been sentenced to death, based on the evidence of his severe psychotic illness, had the information not been withheld.

The fact still remains that withheld evidence regarding his mental status is directly responsible for the death sentence in this case. As a result, his sentence should have been commuted to life without parole because the justice system clearly made grave errors based on withheld information.

Yes, and that's the important part of this matter. Nothing will bring him back and had that judge known this info he prolly would not have given the sentence that he did give to Brooks. it is hoped that it won't happen in the future though I doubt this will happen without serious reform regarding how we treat the mentally ill who have committed serious crimes.

 

[jillio]

Bold print.. by whom?

I do not believe he was schizophrenic. Neither did the courts.

It was withheld by the prosecutors, as has been verified and stated numerous times.

You have never seen this man, you have no idea how to diagnose a scizophrenic, and yet you feel comfortable in deciding that this man is not scizophrenic. The courts have stated that he was schizophrenic. They recognized that fact publicly.

So, you are going to sit back and say that an individual, for over 30 years, successfully faked PTSD, paranoid schizophrenia, and psychogenic amnesia. Right.

 

[jillio]

Yes, and that's the important part of this matter. Nothing will bring him back and had that judge known this info he prolly would not have given the sentence that he did give to Brooks. it is hoped that it won't happen in the future though I doubt this will happen without serious reform regarding how we treat the mentally ill who have committed serious crimes.

Judging from the attitudes I have seen here, and the fact that the prosecutor bows to those attitudes in prosecuting crime, I doubt seriously whether we will ever see a decrease in inhumane treatment of the mentally ill in this country. Great Britian had more humane care for the severely mentally ill in the 1800's than we have today. Canada is light years ahead of us. We don't even have a right to compare ourselves, as far as being a civilized nation goes, to either of those countries. And those are only two.

 

[Babyblue]

It was withheld by the prosecutors, as has been verified and stated numerous times.

You have never seen this man, you have no idea how to diagnose a scizophrenic, and yet you feel comfortable in deciding that this man is not scizophrenic. The courts have stated that he was schizophrenic. They recognized that fact publicly.

So, you are going to sit back and say that an individual, for over 30 years, successfully faked PTSD, paranoid schizophrenia, and psychogenic amnesia. Right.

You have not seen this man nor was he a patient of yours.

So you are going by what you read, just like I am.

 

[jillio]

You have not seen this man nor was he a patient of yours.

So you are going by what you read, just like I am.

I have spoken to two forensic psychologists involved with the case. I stated early on that I had more information that what the OP posted.

 

[deafskeptic]

Judging from the attitudes I have seen here, and the fact that the prosecutor bows to those attitudes in prosecuting crime, I doubt seriously whether we will ever see a decrease in inhumane treatment of the mentally ill in this country. Great Britian had more humane care for the severely mentally ill in the 1800's than we have today. Canada is light years ahead of us. We don't even have a right to compare ourselves, as far as being a civilized nation goes, to either of those countries. And those are only two.

I know.

 

[jillio]

I know.

It's more than sad.