Texas death row inmate loses Supreme Court appeal to be spared because of low IQ

Marvin Wilson, in a 2006 file photo / AP Photo

(AP) HUNTSVILLE, Texas - The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Tuesday evening execution of a Texas death row inmate whose lawyers say should be ineligible for the death penalty because of his low IQ.

Marvin Wilson, 54, was sentenced to death for killing a police informant two decades ago. The high court denied his request for a stay of execution less than two hours before his scheduled 6 p.m. lethal injection.

In their appeal to the high court, his attorneys pointed to a psychological test conducted in 2004 that pegged his IQ at 61, below the generally accepted minimum competency standard of 70. But lower courts agreed with state attorneys who questioned the test's validity.

Attorneys for the state argue that Wilson's claim is based on a single test that may have been faulty and that his mental impairment claim isn't supported by other tests and assessments of him over the years.

Wilson was convicted of murdering 21-year-old Jerry Williams in November 1992, several days after police seized 24 grams of cocaine from Wilson's apartment and arrested him. Witnesses testified that Wilson and another man, Andrew Lewis, beat Williams outside of a convenience store in Beaumont, about 80 miles east of Houston. Wilson, who was free on bond, accused Williams of snitching on him about the drugs, they said.

Witnesses said Wilson and Lewis then abducted Williams, and neighborhood residents said they heard a gunshot a short time later. Williams was found dead on the side of a road the next day, wearing only socks, severely beaten and shot in the head and neck at close range.

Wilson was arrested the next day when he reported to his parole officer on a robbery conviction for which he served less than four years of a 20-year prison sentence. It was the second time he had been sent to prison for robbery.

At Wilson's capital murder trial, Lewis' wife testified that Wilson confessed to the killing in front of her, her husband and his own wife.

"Don't be mad at Andrew because Andrew did not do it," Lewis' wife said Wilson told them. "I did it."

Lewis received a life prison term for his involvement.

In Wilson's Supreme Court appeal, lead lawyer Lee Kovarsky said Wilson's language and math skills "never progressed beyond an elementary school level," that he reads and writes below a second-grade level and that he was unable to manage his finances, pay bills or hold down a job.

The Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2002 outlawing the execution of the mentally impaired, but left it to states to determine what constitutes mental impairment. Kovarsky argues that Texas is trying to skirt the ban by altering the generally accepted definitions of mental impairment to the point where gaining relief for an inmate is "virtually unobtainable."

State attorneys say the court left it to states to develop appropriate standards for enforcing the ban and that Texas chose to incorporate a number of factors besides an inmate's IQ, including the inmate's adaptive behavior and functioning.

Edward Marshall, a Texas assistant attorney general, said records show Wilson habitually gave less than full effort and "was manipulative and deceitful when it suited his interest," and that the state considered his ability to show personal independence and social responsibility in making its determinations.

"Considering Wilson's drug-dealing, street-gambler, criminal lifestyle since an early age, he was obviously competent at managing money, and not having a 9-to-5 job is no critical failure," Marshall said. "Wilson created schemes using a decoy to screen his thefts, hustled for jobs in the community, and orchestrated the execution of the snitch, demonstrating inventiveness, drive and leadership."

Wilson's lawyers also had argued that additional DNA tests should be conducted on a gray hair from someone white that was found on Williams' body, suggesting someone else killed him. Wilson, Williams and Lewis are black.

Ed Shettle, the Jefferson County assistant district attorney who prosecuted Wilson, dismissed the theory of another killer as a "red herring."

"There was some testimony Marvin said: `We're going to show you what happens to snitches around here,"' Shettle said.

Wilson will be the seventh person executed by lethal injection in Texas this year. At least seven other prisoners in the nation's most active death penalty state have execution dates in the coming months, including one later this month.

[Harry1899]

The article never discusses how easy it is to deliberately score poorly on an IQ test. Wilson's life depended on scoring poorly, so in all likelihood, he put down answers he knew were wrong. But the liberal media has an anti-death penalty agenda, so the headline blares out that Texas executes a mentally retarded man. Rubbish.

[TominTX]

The perp murdered someone. He had sense enough to do various crimes and dream up elaborate defenses and excuses. Must have a little more sympathy for victims in such cases. "It's ok I murdered you, I'm retarded you know, and don't appreciate what I'm doing."

[melpol12]

Many street wise drug dealers are poor test takers, but that does not mean they are dumb. Instead of focusing on fluff they use their brains for important things, like how to avoid police detection. My 12 year old school mate who was in a special education class ran a lunch money extortion gang; he supported two of his children with the profits. His 20 year old wife called him a RETARD because he did not know how to change diapers or open a can of baby food.

[PCL1]

Just as well. If he really had an IQ that low, it would be all the less reason to expect that he could be rehabilitated. The fact that he ran an illegal business strongly suggests he was smart enough to fake a bad IQ score anyway. Either way, it will be good to be rid of him. The real shame of this country is that 20,000 people are murdered each year, countless more are maimed, raped and abused, but the majority of the perpetrators of those crime will live to hurt others.

[ATAT8080]

I don't think we should be executing retarded people, period.

If there's a chance this man was retarded, he should be locked away, not killed (or murdered?)

Moral knowledge comes from wisdom. For instance, there's a tribe in S.America that was cut off from modern morality. 'Uncontacted' they murder babies sired from non-tribe males. Of course they murder their babies, they haven't been taught not to do that. They probably beat their women and take what they can without any concept of the morality human kind has learned over the ages. Why, I bet they even don't observe the child labor laws, right? They're moral primatives and need our help, it is to our shame that we permit them to live in their moral ignorance.






In general, retarded or not, I prefer to keep killers alive, in a cage, so future spectators can know that we caught them and have them locked up, under our control, subject to our rules, etc.

I get pleasure out of the periodic attempts by Manson to get parole, etc.

I imagine he thinks about it, hopes a little, then is disappointed.
Eliminating the death penalty would keep other countries from murdering adulterers and religious violators with us as an example, though I admit I have no idea which is the better deterrent to future crimes, yes death penalty, no death penalty, I don't know, but I prefer them kept alive, in their cages, surrounded by the lowest quality people we have.

[Scimajor]

He murdered someone. Who cases if he has the I.Q. of a turnip (e.g. Sarah Palin)?

[gjc1n1]

I care and so do most CIVILIZED people. You don't execute the mentally handicapped or children.

[fg3416]

sarah palin is a backward hillbilly no nothing. Who cares what she says?!!!