Scheduled Execution in Alabama Postponed for Mental Competency Evaluation

• The execution of David Lee Roberts has been delayed due to an evaluation of his mental state.
• Roberts has serious mental health issues, including paranoid schizophrenia.
• The execution was scheduled to be carried out with nitrogen, a method introduced in Alabama last year.

Montgomery, Alabama — The scheduled execution of a convicted murderer in Alabama will not take place next week, as the state awaits the completion of a mental health evaluation ordered by the court.

The court last month stayed the execution scheduled for September 21 for David Lee Roberts pending a mental health assessment to determine whether he is competent to be executed. The Alabama Department of Corrections stated in a Friday news release that the execution will not proceed on the scheduled date.

"As a result, the department anticipates that the execution scheduled for September 21 will not occur on that date. Accordingly, the department has halted all preparations for the execution of Roberts," said a statement from representatives of the corrections department.

Roberts, 59, was to be executed by nitrogen, a method that Alabama began using last year. He was convicted of the murder of Annette Jones in 1992.

Roberts' attorneys assert that his death sentence should be stayed due to serious mental health concerns. Roberts has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, hears voices, and has delusions, as noted by his lawyers in a court filing. He also recently attempted to set fire to tattoos on his arms and legs, claiming that they "are trying to control his thoughts," the attorneys wrote.

In 1992, Roberts was a guest at the home of boyfriend Jones in the Marion area. Prosecutors allege that on April 22, he went to the house, stole her belongings, including money, and shot her three times in the head with a .22 caliber handgun while she lay on the couch. Subsequently, he set fire to the house, burning Jones' body and himself with lighter fluid, prosecutors claimed.

Prosecutors found Roberts guilty of capital murder and recommended a 7-5 vote to sentence him to death without the possibility of parole. The court affirmed this and issued his death sentence. Alabama no longer allows courts to issue sentences in capital cases.

Tags: USA/Crime