Who Is Vernon Madison? Supreme Court Delays Execution Of Inmate With Dementia
An Alabama inmate is scheduled to be executed Thursday, despite having no recollection of the crime he committed.
Update: WKRG-TV reports that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay for the execution of Vernon Madison, who was scheduled to die by lethal injection tonight.
Vernon Madison, 67, has spent nearly half of his life imprisoned after murdering Mobile Police Cpl. Julius Schulte in 1985, the Associated Press reported. Schulte responded to a domestic disturbance call reported by Madison's then-girlfriend. Upon arriving at the scene, Schulte was shot twice in the back of the head after Madison crept up behind him.
Madison is expected to be given a lethal injection at 6:00 p.m. Thursday for said crime, but he can't remember it due to his dementia.
Court documents assert that in addition to dementia, Madison suffered from several strokes. He also has slurred speech, memory loss, he's legally blind and is unable to walk without assistance. Lawyers, therefore, have argued with judges that he should not be subjected to the death penalty because of his health complications.
"[Madison] is failing mentally and cognitively," Angie Setzer, Madison's lawyer, told Mother Jones.
Madison was initially scheduled to be executed in 2016, but the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided against it. SCOTUS subsequently reversed the decision in November. Courts are reportedly still split on whether Madison is competent enough to receive a lethal injection, however.
"The Supreme Court has not concluded that Mr. Madison is competent to be executed; the Court has made it clear that is an unresolved question," Setzer told AL.com. "What the Court said is that a federal court constrained by the restrictions imposed by federal habeas law cannot make that determination."
"The Court's decision denying rehearing affirms that judgment but Mr. Madison's competence to be executed is still yet to be decided," Setzer added.
The U.S. is one of the biggest users of the death penalty. The last injection occurred in Texas Jan. 18 with Anthony Shore, a 55-year-old man dubbed the "Tourniquet Killer" for his distinct way of murdering four females.
So far, 30 more execution dates are expected to occur in 2018.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.