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Court right to grant Panetti hearing

THE EDITORIAL BOARD
In this Nov. 19, 1999 file photo, Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti talks during a prison interview in Huntsville, Texas, where he is on death row for the 1992 murder of his wife's parents. Panetti's execution is set for Dec. 3, 2014 but Panetti’s attorneys want the death date withdrawn or at least delayed to allow for a new round of psychological testing to determine if hes competent to be executed.
In this Nov. 19, 1999 file photo, Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti talks during a prison interview in Huntsville, Texas, where he is on death row for the 1992 murder of his wife's parents. Panetti's execution is set for Dec. 3, 2014 but Panetti’s attorneys want the death date withdrawn or at least delayed to allow for a new round of psychological testing to determine if hes competent to be executed. Scott Coomer AP

These facts are not in dispute.

Death Row inmate Scott Panetti is a murderer.

He brutally slaughtered his in-laws 25 years ago and should pay for his crime.

Panetti also has mental health issues.

A history of diagnoses, hospitalizations and voluntary commitments before the murders suggest he has suffered from mental health issues most of his life.

Still, he stood trial in 1995, and there is little to indicate his mental state has improved since his conviction and subsequent death sentence.

Panetti has not had a competency hearing since 2007 — the same year the U.S Supreme Court narrowed the criteria under which states can execute inmates whose mental competency is in question.

Thanks to a ruling this week by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the lower court that previously denied further review of his health will have to take another look.

Good. Texas should not be executing people who suffer from mental health issues.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Court right to grant Panetti hearing."

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