Who is Scott Panetti? Schizophrenic Texas inmate who tried to call Jesus Christ and JFK as witnesses deemed incompetent for execution
FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS: Scott Panetti, a 65-year-old schizophrenic Texas inmate who has been on death row for nearly 30 years over the shooting death of his in-laws, is not mentally sound enough to be executed, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, September 27.
Panetti, who reportedly killed his in-laws in front of his ex-wife and three-year-old daughter in September 1992, previously tried to call Jesus Christ and President John F Kennedy as trial witnesses, the Daily Mail reported.
The inmate was reportedly hours away from being executed by lethal injection on December 3, 2014, before his execution was postponed after a judgment from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas.
Over the years, Panetti's lawyers have continued to argue that he is mentally stable enough to be put to death as per his 45-year documented history of severe mental illness, including paranoid and grandiose delusions and audio hallucinations.
This week, US district judge Robert Pitman ruled that Panetti’s documented mental illness and disorganized thought process do not make him ineligible from understanding the reason behind his execution.
While the US Supreme Court banned the death penalty for intellectually disabled individuals, it did not prevent people with serious mental illness from being put to death.
However, the court reportedly ruled that a person must be competent enough to be executed, the publication noted.
Scott Panetti was diagnosed with schizophrenia 14 years before he killed his in-laws
In September 1992, Panetti reportedly armed himself with a rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, and knives and wore camouflage clothing before breaking into his in-laws' Fredericksburg home at the Texas Hill Country.
He then shot Joe and Amanda Alvarado at close range in front of his ex-wife Sonja Alvarado and three-year-old daughter before letting them go.
Panetti then changed into a suit and surrendered to cops, the Daily Mail reported. He was reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia 14 years before he fatally shot his in-laws, the outlet reported.
He was reportedly diagnosed in 1978 and admitted to hospital more than a dozen times for treatment before the shooting incident. However, despite Panetti's mental condition, he was allowed to serve as his own lawyer at his 1995 trial.
During the trial, Panetti wore a purple cowboy outfit and flipped a coin to select a juror, the Daily Mail noted. He also insisted that only an insane person could prove insanity.
The 65-year-old reportedly testified as alternate personality "Sarge" in order to describe the Alvarado murders and attempted to subpoena Jesus Christ, the Pope, and late President John F Kennedy.
As per the outlet, Panetti's attorney, Gregory Wiercioch, previously claimed that the killer's delusions "have become more pervasive."
Wiercioch shared that Panetti told him about devices implanted in his teeth by prison system dentists who sent command messages to his brain, telling him that he had a fight with Barack Obama at a Chicago museum in sixth grade.
Panetti also claimed that his tooth told him to write a letter of apology to Obama. He went on to allege that Texas wanted to execute him to cover up incest, corruption, sexual abuse, and drug trafficking he allegedly uncovered.
He further alleged that Texas was "blinded" by the devil, who was using the state to kill him to stop him from preaching and "saving souls."
However, assistant Texas Attorney General Ellen Stewart-Klein told the Supreme Court in 2014 that records failed to support claims showing the deterioration of Panetti's mental condition.
She also alleged some of his bizarre behavior could be deliberate. "Panetti's mental health condition has long been exaggerated to his benefit and he continues this long established pattern here," Stewart-Klein said at the time.
Sonja Alvarado divorced Scott Panetti over his drinking habits
According to the Daily Mail, Alvarado filed for divorce from Panetti because of his drinking habits. She also claimed that he was obsessed with the idea of the devil living in their house.
Alvarado shared that Panetti buried furniture and nailed the curtains shut. He even began washing the walls after having hallucinations of the devil living in the walls of the home and believing that they were running with blood.
However, in a sworn affidavit in 1999, Alvarado said that although she hated what Panetti did to her parents, she believed he was a good man who suffered from mental illness.
She also filed a petition saying that he should never have been tried for the crimes and said he should not be put to death.
"I do not hate Scott. I hate what Scott did. Scott was a good person except when he changed... I know now that Scott is mentally ill and should not be put to death," Alvarado wrote.
What did authorities say about the latest ruling in Scott Panetti's trial?
In a 24-page ruling, Judge Pitman said, "There are several reasons for prohibiting the execution of the insane, including the questionable retributive value of executing an individual so wracked by mental illness that he cannot comprehend the meaning and purpose of the punishment."
"As well as society’s intuition that such an execution simply offends humanity. Scott Panetti is one of these individuals," he added.
Panetti’s lawyer, Wiercioch, said the ruling "prevents the state of Texas from exacting vengeance on a person who suffers from a pervasive, severe form of schizophrenia that causes him to inaccurately perceive the world around him."
"His symptoms of psychosis interfere with his ability to rationally understand the connection between his crime and his execution," he mentioned.
"For that reason, executing him would not serve the retributive goal of capital punishment and would simply be a miserable spectacle," the lawyer added.
Prior to the latest ruling, the Texas Attorney General’s Office had argued Panetti was competent for execution during a three-day hearing in October 2022.
At the same hearing, Timothy Proctor, a forensic psychologist and an expert for the state, said that while he knows Panetti is "genuinely mentally ill," he also believes he has a factual and rational understanding of the reason behind his execution.
In 1986, The Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment prevents the execution of mentally ill individuals who do not have a factual understanding of their punishment.
During a 2007 ruling on an appeal in Panetti’s case, the high court added that a mentally ill person should also have a rational understanding of why they are being executed.
Panetti had two previous execution dates in 2004 and 2014, respectively, before he was declared 'not competent' for execution this week.