TCADP is deeply saddened by the news that Scott Panetti died on Monday, May 26, 2025, at the TDCJ-contracted prison hospital in Galveston, Texas. Panetti, a man with a long history of severe mental illness, spent more than 30 years on death row for killing his in-laws Amanda and Joe Alvarado while in the throes of psychosis. During his 1995 trial, he was allowed to represent himself while dressed in a purple cowboy costume. Despite his well-documented history of psychiatric hospitalizations and diagnoses of schizophrenia, Panetti faced multiple execution dates, most recently in December 2014. On the day he was set to be put to death, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a stay to review the issues surrounding his competency. In September 2023, a federal district judge finally determined that Panetti was not competent for execution due to the profound distortions in his perception of reality, disorganized thinking and speech, paranoid and grandiose delusions, and auditory hallucinations.. We express our condolences to the Panetti family as well as our appreciation to his legal team and to the many mental health professionals and advocates who supported the campaigns to stop the State of Texas from killing him. Their efforts raised awareness of how the criminal justice system treats individuals with severe mental illness. (fb)

(fb)