Death row family-killer Andre Thomas who gouged out and ate his eye begs for clemency
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Andre Thomas, a death-row inmate in Texas, had been hearing voices since age 9 and, according to his attorney, made his first suicide attempt at age 10. Thomas' mental illness, which included religious hallucinations and delusions, worsened as he grew older.
Thomas' mental instability erupted in an outbreak of horrific violence in his hometown of Sherman, Texas, in March 2004, when he was 21, according to his attorneys. His family was helpless, having a long history of mental illness, addiction and poverty.
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What did Andre Thomas do?
Thomas brutally stabbed his 20-year-old wife Laura Christine Boren, who was estranged from him, their 4-year-old son Andre Lee and 13-month-old daughter Leyha Marie Hughes, ripping out their hearts. He later admitted to authorities that he believed all three victims were demons and that God had instructed him to carry out the murders.
After the jury rejected his claim that he was of unsound mind, Thomas was found guilty of the murder of the young girl and given the death penalty. According to the prosecution, he was aware that his actions were wrong, and his drug use exacerbated his mental illness.
Thomas, 39 years old and dependent on numerous medications, is also blind. His defense attorneys said he has twice eaten one of his gouged eyeballs since the murders to prevent the government from hearing his thoughts. According to reports in the New York Post, he has spent the past 15 years in a facility for the state's most mentally ill inmates in south Houston.
What do Andre Thomas’ attorneys say?
According to Thomas' lawyers, he'll never be mentally fit to be executed on April 5. On Wednesday, February 15, they asked Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute his death sentence to life in prison or grant a stay so the courts can determine whether he's fit to avoid death. More than 100 religious leaders and numerous mental health professionals joined their request. “Gov Abbott has the power to stop the spectacle of prison guards leading a blind, mentally incompetent, delusional man to the death chamber,” said attorney Maurie Levin.
However, authorities stress that Thomas' execution should take place if he's found sane, and that Thomas' victims and their families shouldn't be left out of this discussion. Sherman, a town of about 45,000 people 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Dallas, was stunned by the murders of Boren and her children. "In this case, a jury has spoken about what justice should be. "We are not going to ignore that," said J Kerye Ashmore, prosecutor for the Grayson County District Attorney's Office. After entering office in 2015, only one death row convict has received clemency from Abbott.
According to his attorneys, prison records show that Thomas "still hallucinate(s) constantly," including "voices 'from a spiritual prison' and seeking 'angels.'" "He is one of Texas' most mentally ill prisoners," Levin said.
According to Thomas' attorneys, another problem with his trial was the admission of jurors who opposed interracial marriage. Thomas is Black, while his former wife was White. The US Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal on the issue last year.
According to Ashmore, the test for competency to be put to death is not "whether he is mentally ill or has hallucinations," but rather whether the prisoner understands why he is being executed or that it is about to happen.
Joseph Brown, the former district attorney for Grayson County who oversaw the prosecution, claimed that this case has been challenging for all parties. “For many people I hear from, it does not matter whether he understands that he is being punished or not. They believe a crime with those facts demands death. To others … the death penalty is never justified. Our legal system does the best it can in that difficult situation,” stated Brown, a Sherman-based private practitioner at the moment.
Greg Hansch, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Texas, said, "It would be very troubling to execute Mr. Thomas at the exact time that the (Texas) House is once again considering exempting people like him from being executed." Such a bill wouldn't be retroactive if Texas passed it.
A bill that would bar those with severe mental illnesses from the death penalty will be discussed in the Texas Legislature. In 2019 and 2021, similar legislation failed to become into law. Such laws have recently passed in Kentucky and Ohio.
The Rev. Jaime Kowlessar, a pastor from Dallas who is one of the more than 100 religious figures pleading with authorities to halt the execution, claimed that killing Thomas would not be justified. “We pray that Gov. Abbott will choose the path of healing and grace by sparing Mr Thomas’ life,” Kowlessar said.
Although the death penalty has been banned for the mentally ill, it remains legal for people suffering from severe mental illness. However, the Court has ruled that a person must be sane to be executed. Thomas' attorneys must file a petition for a judicial evaluation of Thomas' sanity.