Scott is still in his cell on death row and
I'm sure that he would like to say hello and thank you to everybody out there that has been supporting his cause throughout
the years.
This
is the latest information we have as of July 16, 2011:
On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review our claim that
Judge Ables shouldn’t have allowed Scott to represent himself. A disappointing decision, but not unexpected, considering
how few cases the Supreme Court decides to hear each year. We now have 60 days (until Aug. 19, 2011) to return to federal
district court (Judge Sparks in Austin) to present this claim to him.
We appreciate you coming back and checking in. Like always, when we have DEFINITIVE information, we will
post it. Thank you for checking in and for your thoughts of encouragement and support!
If
you are new to the website, first of all, thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to scroll down or click on a page link
above to peruse all the details and information of Scott's case. Thanks.
February
2011 News
Scott is still in his cell
on death row and I'm sure that he would like to say hello and thank you to everybody out there that has been supporting his
cause throughout the years.
This is the latest information
we have as of February, 2, 2011:
The Texas court of criminal appeals denied our claim that
Judge Ables should not have let Scott Panetti represent himself at trial in
1995. Two judges (Holcomb and Johnson) dissented. The decision was
reported to Texas Defender Service on December 15, 2010.
We have 90 days from December 15, 2010
to decide if we want to
ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review this most
recent claim.
This same claim is still in front
of Judge Sparks in the
Texas federal district court. He could start that case moving again once
he is notified that the Texas court of criminal appeals denied our claim
that Scott should not have been allowed to represent himself at his own trial
because he is a documented, mentally ill, schizophrenic.
Another hope for Scott’s case is
our other existing appeal of the Ford vs
Wainwright claim (a case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the
common law rule that the insane cannot be executed).
This specific appeal, which brought us
to the U.S. Supreme
Court in 2006, continues to be stayed
by the Fifth Circuit court. So we continue to wait and Scott remains on Texas
death row. Although our team prevailed with a 5-4 vote by the Supreme
court judges, in our case’s favor.
In the meantime, the most recent self-representation
claim (that was denied by the Texas court of criminal appeals December 15,
2010) will now work its way through the federal courts.
Needless to say, we have many battles left
to fight.
Please help us by forwarding this information to anyone who is willing to help
us in any way they can, big or small. All acts of kindness add up and have
made a great difference. Thank you very much for your ongoing
support over the years. We will not give up.
We appreciate you coming
back and checking in. Like always, when we have DEFINITIVE information, we will post it. Thank you for checking in and for
your thoughts of encouragement and support!
If you are new to the website, first of all, thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to scroll down or click
on a page link above to peruse all the details and information of Scott's case. Thanks.
February
2011 News
Scott is still in his cell on death row and
I'm sure that he would like to say hello and thank you to everybody out there that has been supporting his cause throughout
the years.
This is the latest information we have as of July 16 2011:
On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review our claim
that Judge Ables shouldn’t have allowed Scott to represent himself. A disappointing decision, but not unexpected,
considering how few cases the Supreme Court decides to hear each year. We now have 60 days (until Aug. 19, 2011) to
return to federal district court (Judge Sparks in Austin) to present this claim to him.
We appreciate you coming back and checking in.
Like always, when we have DEFINITIVE information, we will post it. Thank you for checking in and for your thoughts of encouragement
and support!
If you are new to the website, first of all, thank you for stopping
by. Please feel free to scroll down or click on a page link above to peruse all the details and information of Scott's
case. Thanks.
In July 2010, the federal district
court judge (Judge Sparks) gave us permission to return to the state court one more time to raise the claim that Judge Ables
(trial judge) should not have allowed Scott to represent himself. We are still waiting on a ruling from the Texas Court
of Criminal Appeals on that claim.
June
2010
News
The SUPREME COURT of the United States rules in favor of Scott Panetti!
U.S. SUPREME COURT REVERSES DECISION ALLOWING EXECUTION OF SCHIZOPHRENIC MAN WHO REPRESENTED HIMSELF AT TRIAL WEARING PURPLE
COWBOY COSTUME
Austin, Texas; Texas may not execute a severely mentally ill man who believes his execution would be the result of a satanic
conspiracy to prevent him from preaching the Gospels of Jesus rather than for murdering his wife's parents, the U.S. Supreme
Court said today.
Scott Louis Panetti, 49, was allowed to represent himself at his capital murder trial in 1995, despite having been involuntarily
committed to mental hospitals over a dozen times in the years leading up to the crime. Mr. Panetti defended himself dressed
in a purple cowboy outfit and wanted to subpoena John F. Kennedy, the Pope, and Jesus.
Gregory W. Wiercioch, a staff attorney with Texas Defender Service who argued the case before the Supreme Court in April,
hailed the decision. He said, "The Supreme Court today reaffirms the wisdom of a legal principle nearly a
thousand years old, that the execution of persons like Scott Panetti serves no purpose and offends our sense of decency
and common humanity."
"Today the Supreme Court recognized that executing Scott Panetti would be a mindless, meaningless, and miserable
spectacle," said Mr. Wiercioch.
Since his conviction and death sentence, Mr. Panetti's mental condition has deteriorated even further. Although he is
aware that he killed his parents-in-law, he suffers from psychotic delusions that cause him to believe that demonic forces
have conspired with the State of Texas to put a stop to his preaching by seeking his execution.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that Mr. Panetti's execution could proceed despite his irrational,
delusional belief that had no connection with his crime. The Supreme Court reversed and held that the
execution of persons whose severe mental illness deprives them of the ability to rationally understand the reason they
are to be put to death is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and support.
Keep checking in the next few days for links to stories and articles about this ruling.
Scott's potentially precedent setting case is going to the SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES!
It's 2007, Thank you for your patience for the latest news. Check out the next two boxes for the latest, exciting updates
regarding Scott's case!
SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) Blog reports that The U.S. Supreme Court will review Scott Panetti's case.
No one disputes that Scott Panetti has severe mental illness. His lawyers believe that his condition has deteriorated
while on death row. The question now is whether he is competent to be executed.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided this afternoon that it will review that standard through Panetti's case.
SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) Blog reports that the oral argument for Panetti v. Quarterman has been scheduled
for the afternoon of Wednesday, April 18, 2007 in Washington DC.
The case will be arguing the constitutionality of executing a death row inmate who has a delusion about why he is being
executed.
This is the ever important first step in Scott's appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and support throughout this period. It's now 2007, and we've come a long way since
January of 2004. Also, thanks to EVERYONE that has contributed to Scott's defense over the last few years. Your contributions
aid Scott's defenders and ensures that Scott receives the proper backing and justice in his important court proceedings.
Scott Panetti's case has the chance to change the face of the Death Penalty in America
Read this article to learn about the details of Scott Panetti's life, case and the tragic ordeal in this excellent article
written by Meg Kissinger for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Thank you so much to everyone that signed the petition, wrote letters to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and everyone
that flooded Texas Governor Rick Perry's office with phone calls.
You made a difference!
Please keep checking in daily for updates on what you can do to help in the next phase of Scott's monumental case.
Scott, pictured here at 18, served in the U.S.Navy
Scott's mother Yvonne contemplates what her next letter will say in this Gary Porter photo
You may make an online donation to the Texas Defender Service with a credit card. They
use Pay Pal for their online donations. If you are not a registered user of Pay Pal, do not be dissuaded. It is very easy
to register and only takes a few moments.
The Texas Defender Service relies on contributions to function, but they never demand a fee. They are a very special group
of people who care about getting proper justice to those who don't have access to it.
Click the link below to read this very insightful article by Michael King from the May 28, 2004 edition of the Austin Chronicle.
It discusses the case of Kelsey Patterson, who suffered from mental illness, but was still recently executed by the state
of Texas.
A special thanks to Susan Sarandon and Mike Farrell for supporting Scott's plight and writing a personal letter to the Texas
Board of Pardons and Appeals. And to Sister Helen Prejean for signing the petition.
Scott Panetti behind the glass on death row,Dec.02
CONTACT US
Victoria Panetti - Scott's sister and founder of Rap n' Rock the Death Clock
victoria@rapnrockthedeathclock.com
Peter Soby, Jr. - Scott's cousin and the guy in charge of the website
peter@rapnrockthedeathclock.com
You can send Scott an e-mail and we will print the e-mail, along with any attachments, and deliver them to Scott.
scottpanetti@rapnrockthedeathclock.com
Scott cannot e-mail you back, but we will send you a confirmation that we received your e-mail. If you want a letter back
from Scott, please include your mailing address in your e-mail to Scott.
If you would like to write a letter to Scott through
the mail, send it to this address:
Scott Panetti
999-164
Polunsky 3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
