On May 28th, Virginia is scheduled to electrocute Percy Levar Walton, a Virginia death row inmate who does not know what year it is or that he cannot eat at Burger King once he has been executed. In a pending clemency petition to Virginia Governor Mark Warner and in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Walton’s attorneys presented expert medical evidence, including tests by prison doctors, showing that their client suffers from schizophrenia and psychosis. They note that prison guards call Walton “Horse,” short for “Crazy Horse,” and that the guards stay at arms lengths to avoid his stench (a classic symptom of schizophrenia). In addition to Walton’s mental illness, he scored a 66 on a recent IQ test and may be mentally retarded. A person with an IQ of 70 or lower is generally considered mentally retarded.
(Associated Press, May 22, 2003) See Mental Retardation and Clemency.