Low-IQ prisoner executed in Texas

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A 44-year-old Texas man was executed Thursday evening for raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl, despite pleas from his attorneys he was too mentally impaired to qualify for capital punishment.

Bobby Wayne Woods received lethal injection about a half-hour after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to halt his punishment, which was delayed briefly until the high court ruled in his case. His lawyers had argued Woods was mentally impaired, making him ineligible for execution, and that previous appeals to spare Woods' life were unsuccessful because of shoddy work by his lawyer at the time.

Tests administered to Woods put his IQ anywhere from the 60s to the 80s. An IQ of 70 is considered the threshold for mental impairment.

Woods was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to die for the April 1997 slaying of Sarah Patterson, his ex-girlfriend's daughter. She and her 9-year-old brother were snatched from their home in Granbury, near Fort Worth. Sarah's throat was slit with a knife. Her brother was beaten and left for dead but survived to testify against Woods.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34260662/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

---

Thanks to user 24601 from the previous thread.

So what do you think about the High Court's decision? Does this contradict Atkins v. Virginia, the 2002 case that ruled it unconstitutional to execute the mentally retarded?

[LakeSamish706]

1. George W Bush will just be salivating over this I'm sure. Capital Punishment

is gross and should be done away with. WTF gives us the right to put a person to death anyway? Sorry, absolute BS IMHO.

[murray hill farm]

2. The prison system could have kept him for life....

if all the minor offence, non violent prisoners were freed from the system. A high maintenance prisoner like this guy is just killed. It is easier that way. Such is our prison system...and our justice system.

[madokie]

74. To the innocent a death penality is punishment

but to to the guilty so many times they fine religion which leads them to feelings that they've been forgiven by a higher power and will be rewarded when the day comes that they cross the line of life and death.

I'm against the death penalty in all shapes or forms as it is only punishment to the innocent, remember that

[murray hill farm]

93. I agree completely!

[saigon68]

90. NA the Chimp is Masturbating in the closet

"BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[tomm2thumbs]

3. I don't know enough about the defense in the case, but the crime sounds horrific

The jury has spoken, no doubt the case was automatically appealed, fought on many levels, was reviewed all the way up to the Supreme Court and that's how our American court system works.

[bloomington-lib]

4. If it would have been my daughter I would have wanted worse no

matter what his IQ was.

[cowcommander]

5. Low IQ doesn't excuse his crimes

Good riddance.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. 'excuse'? no.

However a society that executes retarded people and imprisons children for life has lost its sense of justice and reason.

[imdjh]

11. Has lost its patience. And I would expect to see even less patience.

People are sick of crime and they perceive that there is more of it both because of the scale of the country and the access to information.

[LeftishBrit]

97. How do other countries manage without the death penalty then?

All the evidence is that the DP doesn't WORK in preventing crime. Countries that don't have the DP don't have more crime than those that do have it.

[michreject]

38. Didn't Huckabee parole a child that was imprisoned for life

How did that work out?

[JonQ]

51. 80 IQ is not retarded

Not a genius by any shot, but he knew right from wrong, or was capable of it at least.

[TheEuclideanOne]

9. Knowing that they execute people in Texas with Low IQs had to send a shiver down the spine of

all Texans. Nobody in Texas is safe! I think that was really the point of the story.

[imdjh]

12. It's not like he was drooling and playing with his toys. This was a functioning adult.

At least that's how I read it.

I'm thinking that the exgirlfriend must be a real winner too. Haven't seen anything about her.

[proteus_lives]

15. State-bashing, nice.

What things could we say about "America's Wang" aka the Sunshine State?

Grow-up.

[TheEuclideanOne]

25. Well, I am from Florida and anything bad that you could possibly say

would be true.

[JonQ]

52. Not really

Even the smallest states in population have over half a million people. Making general statements about that many people are bound to be wrong.

[Butch350]

19. Are you saying everyone in Texas has low IQ's?

[TheEuclideanOne]

24. If you have to ask the question.....

Then you must be from Texas.

[Paladin]

34. Funny, I Don't Think All Persons From Florida Are Arrogant, Prejudiced Assholes.

Care to change my mind about that? You've made a nice start of it......

[TheEuclideanOne]

48. Apparently you have never been to Florida.

Come down for a visit. It would change your mind for sure.

I sure hope that nobody replies back asking me to "grow up" or not to be so prejudiced. Seems like there are bigger things to be concerned about than somebody badmouthing a state (even if it is completely justified). But for the folks that find offense in my badmouthing Florida and Texas, I go with the Truth Defense and I am sticking with it.

[Paladin]

55. I've Been To Florida On A Number Of Occasions. Nice Place, By And Large.

Have you ever been to Texas, or is the brain-dead prejudice you express against every man, woman and child in that state based on an experience-free analysis---the way most Texas-bashing is, here at DU? Lotsa luck with that "Truth Defense," by the way.....

[TheEuclideanOne]

60. Sorry, I am bored

Have to leave this conversation. Time to move on to something that is more interesting and meaningful than this discussion.

[Paladin]

71. Thanks For Predictably Living Down To My Expectations. (n/t)

[JonQ]

87. I'm sure others are in desperate need of your bigotry

go, for the good of all those poor prejudice free people, go, and save them from their lack of bias!

[JonQ]

53. Funny that us ignorant Texans

are producing more than we take in terms of taxes, unlike enlightened floridians who are a burden on the rest of the country.

[Xenotime]

57. SNAP!!

[Lance_Boyle]

72. no - only the ones who choose to stay there. n/t

[vadawg]

58. yeah anyone who kidnaps kids and kills them isnt safe, isnt that what you mean

its not like the guy who runs a red light camera is getting the death penalty, its the animals who commit the worst crimes imaginable...

[woo me with science]

75. He has a low average IQ.

If you are against the death penalty on principle, fine, but don't make the low IQ argument in this case. An IQ in the 80's is not anywhere near mental retardation. It is considered low average.

[JonQ]

88. If we were discussing

whether or not he should be allowed to live his own life and be an independent adult, an IQ of 80 would be just fine, but when it comes to the death penalty an IQ of 80 means he is a drooling idiot, incapable of making decisions.

[mitchum]

92. As a special ed instructor, I always say,"With rights come responsibilities"...

but I guess that's because I'm a professional, not a sentimentalist.

[LeftishBrit]

98. And what excuse does the state have when it kills people?

Not even the excuse that the DP works in preventing/deterring crime. Because all the evidence is that it doesn't.

[Loudmxr]

6. Think of all those Catholics that will be denied communion for supporting this...no wait.

[IndianaGreen]

8. They don't give a shit about an unborn baby after it is born

and LGBTs can't enter heaven either.

It is amazing that LDS is actually more liberal than the pedophiles running the Vatican.

[ORDagnabbit]

10. pretty simple dont kill another human and you dont die.

[GOPNotForMe]

29. It's funny how simple concepts are hard to explain to those with mental problems.

Try to understand that for a minute.

[mitchum]

44. You mean those with "mental problems" who can premeditate kidnapping, rape, and murder?

sure...

[nutshell2002]

13. An eye for an eye

leaves the whole world blind :(

[beyond cynical]

18. Better to be blind, than dead.

[BlueJazz]

14. I don't believe in killing people.

[proteus_lives]

16. Bobby Wayne Woods did and he paid for it.

[BlueJazz]

27. True but I guess my feeling is that individuals kill people, in one way or the other,..

...every day.
I mean, if people are a victim of massive scams (like Goldman Sachs) and lose all of their life savings, it causes tremendous stress and (as any doctor will say), most likely, shortens their life.
I look at it like: Which is worse..a company like Goldman Sachs that causes 20,000 people to have shorter lives or one individual who takes one life?
I guess the answer is: I don't know... but I do know that scam artists or large corporations are not put to death for their massive crimes.
It's a bitch of a feeling to me and I have wanted to PERSONALLY fry the mother-fucker that hurts or rapes a little girl but again, I try to look at all the other bastards that walk away from serious punishment.

It's a confusing subject to me... :)

[DFW]

17. Texas is an equal-opportunity executioner

It is a shame we have been living with for many years.

Texas executes the mentally competent, the mentally incompetent, the guilty, the innocent, etc.

As long as he can preside over enough deaths, our governor, at least since 1995, seems to be a happy man.

[alarimer]

20. Anyone who believes in the death penalty is a fucking barbarian.

It is sick and disgusting. You are not human and I hate being on the same planet as assholes like you, especially assholes who advocate killing the mentally impaired.

[cali]

21. Yikes. I'm firmly opposed to the dp in all cases no exceptions

I'm only sorry it puts me in alignment with the foaming likes of you./

You need to get some help.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

37. being passionate about people dying, is hardly something to be ashamed of. nt

[cali]

41. this:

Anyone who believes in the death penalty is a fucking barbarian.

It is sick and disgusting. You are not human and I hate being on the same planet as assholes like you, especially assholes who advocate killing the mentally impaired.

is not passion. It's rabid hate and foaming and does nothing but slime the anti-dp cause.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

33. i agree. i hate being on the planet with people who dont see the essential immorality

in cold blooded killing

[michreject]

39. Feel free to leave any time you desire nt

[mitchum]

56. +1,000,000

[mitchum]

46. I would imagine that this barbarian is both more intelligent and more accomplished than you

Piss off, you bleeding heart (and bleeding brain)

[superconnected]

64. I think you should read _The Stranger_. You sound like the prosecuter which is strange

because you're against killing people. But people with hateful vengeance come on both sides don't they?

I believe in the dp when people do callous murders. During a robbery, no. Shooting 4 cops execution style, yes.

[hughee99]

76. Bill Clinton, the asshole barbarian...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-supreme-court-bans-execution-of-mentally-retarded-646006.html

"One of the most notorious cases involving the execution of a retarded prisoner was that of Ricky Ray Rector who was put to death by lethal injection in 1992 for murder.

The case is remembered because Bill Clinton, the then Arkansas governor, returned from the New Hampshire presidential primary to oversee the execution in an effort to rebut claims he was soft on the death penalty.

Rector, who was said to be brain-damaged, weighed 300lbs and it took 45 minutes to find a vein for the injection. The medical administrator said guards and 11 medical staff had been needed. "I'm not going to take anything away from Ricky Ray Rector and the help he gave us with our task ... He helped."

Most memorable, however, were Rector's last words, which his lawyers said underlined his lack of awareness. When presented with his final meal he asked whether he could save the dessert "for after".

[woo me with science]

22. "60's to 80's" doesn't tell us very much.

especially if you don't know which tests were in the 60's and which were in the 70's or 80's.

Anything in the 70's or 80's is not mental retardation. The 80's, in fact, are considered low average.

[marshall]

31. The range was actually 68 to 86

The history of his IQ performance:

a) 1st grade: 78

b) Age 7: 86

c) 4th grade: 80

d) At age 33: 83

e) While on Death Row: 68

I found the info here: http://newsrealblog.com/2009/12/04/is-bobby-wayne-woods-too-stupid-to-be-executed/

Don't know anything about that site, but it does link to an interesting video where among other things Woods says he used to check books out of the prison library until his attorney told him it would be used against him.

[woo me with science]

59. That looks like a low average IQ to me.

It is consistent until he is on death row, when it drops dramatically to the mentally retarded range.

Unless there is a physical reason for the drop (e.g., head injury), it looks like he may have tried to do poorly on the test.

[alp227]

67. Oh no, that site is a David Horowitz property

Horowitz is a right-wing, ex-Communist activist known for his Islamophobia and smears of higher education. Do you have another source that proves the same?

[marshall]

77. That's why I referenced the video (which is on youtube)

Didn't have time to background the site, but the video is Woods speaking. You can't get closer to the horse's mouth than that.

[Odin2005]

23. A person with an IQ of 70 is still intelligent enough to be responsible for his crimes.

[slackmaster]

26. That there is any debate over his execution reminds me of some Eagles lyrics

He was too bad to live,

Too dumb to die, bye bye.

(I am opposed to the DP but don't see why an exception should be made for someone like him.)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

28. I am against the death penalty in all cases.

[marshall]

30. This isn't an argument about the death penalty as a whole

It is just about this one person and whether he is mentally retarded. In the same way Mitt Romney _ostensibly_ claims to supporta woman's right to choose because he is bound to support the law even if it conflicts with his own views, in fairness to this man the specific issue is what is important.

But that doesn't mean arguments against the death penalty shouldn't be made separately, perhaps using this case as an example.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

32. what i mean is i find the death penalty immoral. whether this is more immoral or less immoral

is debatable, but i find killing people immoral. Not to mention expensive and arguable a very slight detterent to further crime and therefore lacking in efficacy

[marshall]

35. Money is always a good way to build consensus

Everybody wants to save it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

36. i doubt it. people are more swayed by passion than pragmatic things like money

[cali]

42. and that is what a reasoned argument looks like. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

96. Very strongly agree.

[parts]

40. Um 60-80?

They're going to kill - sorry, have ALREADY taken a human life - and they can't tell what his IQ is except that it's 60-80? That's a HUGE range considering the implications of whether its 60, or 80.

And leave the Catholics out of it, please. What do they have anything to do with it? Searched OP three times, can't find any mention of any one of us having any role to play in this atrocity.

[JonQ]

49. Kind of suggests that IQ testing is not an exact science

I wonder if a prisoner who knows he faces the death penalty might intentionally under perform to save his life?

Nah, that would be dishonest.

[parts]

84. don't know much about iq testing myself

But look, a man's life was at stake. Can we give it back to him if you screw up the first time? No, so you damn well get it right first try.

If it was so easy to fake IQ scores, nobody would get executed, would they? Come on. Stop with the sarcasm and flippancy. You're obviously intelligent enough to read, understand, digest and comment on internet news discussion. People out there aren't. What if you weren't so lucky? Ever worked with low-IQ individuals? Ever tried explaining concepts like guilt and innocence to them?

I'm not saying this guy is innocent, guilty, retarded, not retarded, or anything. But it's his LIFE you're talking about. Let's FIND OUT first, that so hard to understand?

[mitchum]

43. Good...it was the correct decision

[totodeinhere]

45. It doesn't matter if he had a low IQ or not.

Capitol punishment is always wrong, whether it involves a mentally impaired person or a genius. It's barbaric and it needs to stop.

[JonQ]

47. We should only execute those with IQs above 150.

Everyone else probably was not aware of what they were doing.

[ZombieHorde]

50. Your idea would definitely cut down of the number of executions. nt

[Norwood]

54. So having a low IQ excuses his crime?

He raped and murdered an 11 year old girl, good riddance to the piece of crap.

[TexasObserver]

61. All executions are wrong, whether the perp's IQ is low, high or in between.

I oppose them on both moral and legal grounds.

[superconnected]

62. Well, he had a high enough iq to kidnap 2 kids, slit ones throat and rape her and leave the other

for dead. From the article it was his girlfriends kids.

I was reading the article thinking I was going to feel sorry for him, but after reading it, good riddance.

[undeterred]

63. Didn't Texas have a Low-IQ Governor who executed lots of people?

[alp227]

65. Which one, Bush or Perry?

I think you're talking about our previous president more likely, right? He also denied clemency to Karla Faye Tucker, who became a "born-again Christian" behind bars. Both Bush and Perry have their relative stupidities. We've all heard Bush mess up the English language and many American government policies. Perry supports secession of Texas and teaching creationism in public schools.

[undeterred]

66. I meant little Bush

I remember the Karla Faye Tucker story because it was so sad and he mocked her when she begged for her life. After that I couldn't believe that all these right wingers would believe he was a religious man but they did.

[alp227]

68. Oh yeah, that low-IQ Bush made it to Yale and Harvard. How?

Based on the rules of Ivy League admissions, his parents probably bought Georgie's way in.

[mitchum]

70. Since I'm not a religious man, I think Tucker truly earned her fate

And since she was pulling the born again christian hustle, why was she so hesitant to go and be with her precious lord?

[undeterred]

73. I think she had a genuine change of heart,

religious or not. And she wanted to spend the rest of her years doing positive things in prison. That should be the goal of corrections, not to exterminate people.

[GreenStormCloud]

79. No Texas governor can grant clemency. They don't have the authority. N/T

[GreenStormCloud]

80. Self-delete. Posted in wrong spot. N/T

[GreenStormCloud]

78. No. Texas governors don't have the authority to pardon or commute.

That is done by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The governor can only issue a single 30-day stay of execution, per prisoner. All execution that were carried out under Bush were sentenced under previous governors. Ann Richards, the democratic governor before Bush did nothing about any of those on death row that were executed under Bush for the same reason that Bush didn't. Neither she nor Bush had the authority.

[JonQ]

89. Now that's not fair

don't bring reason and facts in to a bush/texas bashing thread. That just isn't appropriate.

[Doctor_J]

69. Yes, we execute children, retarded people, and innocent people and yet

lead the industrialized world in crime. But hey, no one can claim that Goodhair is "soft on crime"

[boppers]

81. Atkins was about a guy with an IQ of 59-70's...

And the argument was about the profoundly retarded, not just the unintelligent. A follow-up trial (2005) found Atkins now eligible for the death penalty, as he was now smart enough to communicate and understand what was going on. A trial after that to determine if he was, indeed, retarded resulted in prior evidence being chucked out, and his sentence reduced to life in prison.

That being said, there's a difference between permanent impairment and temporary impairment, especially if that impairment is caused by physical disability, or choice. In this case, the guy may have been dumb, but he wasn't retarded in the clinical sense, in that he could understand right from wrong, and fear the death penalty (part of the Atkins logic is that the retarded wouldn't be deterred by the death penalty, because they couldn't understand it).

[GreenStormCloud]

82. 80 IQ is able to read, write, get a driver's license, and even use the internet. N/T

[mitchum]

85. And those are facts that escape the ignorant and sentimental on this thread...

there are MANY inmates with IOs in that range
because let's face it
most convicted criminals are not very bright

[GreenStormCloud]

86. True on both counts.

There are even several websites devoted to dumb criminals.

http://www.dumbcriminals.com/

http://www.realpolice.net/articles/dumb-criminals/dumb-criminals.html

http://www.crazycriminals.com/

and videos. Go to youtube and search "dumb criminals".

The following idiot takes out his friend who is doing look-out and then himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHfECVdSBs

[JonQ]

94. If someone with an IQ of 80 or below

is incapable of determining right from wrong, should they be allowed to live free? Shouldn't they be permanently institutionalized and stripped of their rights for both their and societies best interest?

If you were to suggest that though you'd be torn a new one. Only when they commit murders do they lose all responsibilities.

[GreenStormCloud]

83. Raped and murdered an 11yr old. Permanent bye-bye. No tears. N/T

[TheWatcher]

91. It's about time they took care of that War Mongering, Giggling Murderer

That Stole the Presidency, took us to war based on Lies, and destroyed an entire Civilization, as well as our country.

Oh, Wait.....

[Zavulon]

95. He raped and murdered an 11 year-old? I don't give a shit what his I.Q. is. I'm glad they did it.

And if it does town out to be in violation of Atkins v. Virginia, a shrug of the shoulder and an "oops" is more than enough for me.