Columbia, SC (AP) – After his best friend and four other prisoners of his colleague were killed in less than a year, South Carolina’s prisoner wants to become his own lawyer who would probably mean his own execution in a few weeks or months.
The federal judge stated a 45 -day delay in the request of James Robertson to talk to him and make sure he really wants to dismiss his lawyers and deal with the probable consequences of his decision.
Robertson, 51, died since 1999, after both of their parents killed their Rock Hill at home. He broke his father with a hammer and baseball stick nail and beat his mother. Prosecutors said he tried to look like a robbery, hoping he would receive his $ 2.2 million. A share of USD assets.
Robertson had previously dismissed his lawyers. Shortly after he arrived in the death penalty, he wanted to give up appeal after the card playing a buddy never appealed to the death sentence for burning a van with his daughter’s home at home.
A letter from a prisoner’s death penalty
One page letter from Robinson landed in a federal judge’s mailbox on April 7, four days before South Carolina, who had executed his fifth prisoner in seven months. It states that Robertson and his lawyer had a difference.
As “no ethical lawyer will refuse the appeal that will lead to their client,” Robertson said he was ready to represent himself.
Robertson’s lawyer, Emily Paavola’s court documents, replied that Robertson did not take medication for depression, suffered from chronic back pain and skin condition, which caused him more depressed and worried about the five executions that reduced close death penalty from 30 to 25.
Included Robertson’s best friend, Death Row, Marion Bowman Jr, killed by a deadly injection on January 31, Paavola said.
Paavloa asked the judge to arrest Robertson’s request for four months to make a thorough psychiatric assessment to decide whether he is mentally competent. Prosecutors suggested that the judge independently talk to Robertson and decide whether they were able to act as their own lawyer.
Judge Mary Gordon Baker decided to have a different lawyer to talk to Robertson, making sure she understands the consequences and effects of her decision and reports until early July.
Not the first time
In the early 2000s, Robertson also sought to abandon all his appeals. At the time, he said to the judge that he thought he had completed a better ending with the death penalty rather than in the prison of life without probation, and was dropped by every lawyer he encountered after the arrest.
The judge asked Robertson’s 2002 At the hearing about his friend Michael Passar’s decision to volunteer at the House of Death.
“It didn’t change my attitude. What she did, forced me to understand – by a little reinforcing reality – see how my best friend goes from one day’s game cards with me the next day without being here,” said Robertson. “He basically chose the similar path that I chose now, and we often talked about his decision.”
Volunteers for death
Volunteers, as they are called layers of the death penalty, have been alive since the death penalty was returned 50 years ago. About 10% of all prisoners executed in the US, who agree to die before completing all their appeals, according to data, data, in the Statistics of the Death Penalty Center.
Research on the center and academics found that almost all volunteers had mental illnesses that could have led to them to decide that they no longer wanted to live.
The percentage of volunteers was constantly decreasing with the number of executions.
2000-2009 65 Of the 590 US executions, a prisoner attended an appeal, including Timothy McVeigh for the murder of 148 people in the bombing of the Oklahoma city. From 2020 So far, the center has regarded only seven of the 111 people, which volunteers have been caught.
The prosecutor understands that the death penalty does not fight
The prosecutor, who sent Robertson to the Death Row, said he could understand why prisoners decide to stop fighting their sentences.
“If you told me – be imprisoned for the rest of your life or just go ahead and go to the Lord, you know, I can also choose the latter,” said Tommy Pope, now South Carolina House Speaker.
However, the Pope said 26 years ago, he also watched a young man with a higher intelligence intelligence intelligence who likes to work as soon as he can, and often thinks he is smarter than his lawyers.
“As usual with Jimmy, I will stay to see how he plays until the end,” the Pope said.