The Mentally Ill Should Not Face the Death Penalty

Should society exempt severely mentally ill people from the death penalty? The story of Andre Lee Thomas, on death row in Texas, raises that question.

On the morning of March 27, 2004, Thomas, just barely 21, woke to the voice of God telling him to kill his estranged wife, their four-year-old son, and his 13-month-old-step daughter. He cut out their hearts (mistakenly taking part of his wife’s lung) to “set them free from evil.”

About the Author

Sally Satel

Sally Satel is a psychiatrist and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is a lecturer at Yale University School of Medicine.

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Should society exempt severely mentally ill people from the death penalty? The story of Andre Lee Thomas, on death row in Texas, raises that question.

On the morning of March 27, 2004, Thomas, just barely 21, woke to the voice of God telling him to kill his estranged wife, their four-year-old son, and his 13-month-old-step daughter. He cut out their hearts (mistakenly taking part of his wife’s lung) to “set them free from evil.”