Exceeding the limits of decency: The legal proceedings
State court appeals
Mr. Thompson currently is incompetent to be executed. He hears voices, suffers from severe delusions, is often suicidal, and does not appreciate that he is about to be executed (he believes that he can survive electrocution and thereafter will go to Hawaii). Mr. Thompson’s mental illness was almost certainly a factor in the crime he committed, though this is difficult to prove because his attorneys did not retain a forensic psychologist at the time who could have made such a determination.
What is not in doubt, however, is that since his conviction, Mr. Thompson’s mental condition has gone from bad to horrendous. After his trial, post-conviction counsel obtained and submitted the affidavit of Dr. Gillian Blair (Ph.D., Clinical Psychology), who stated that based on existing information, Mr. Thompson had shown a deteriorating mental status since 1985, was likely suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the crime, and required further expert evaluation to assess his condition. The post-conviction court denied the requested funding for psychological testing and Mr. Thompson’s appeals based on his incompetence were denied.
The prosecution successfully argued throughout Greg Thompson’s appeals that he was faking mental illness. The state courts accepted this argument, found Greg was not sick enough to be relieved of his death sentence, but did note that prison doctors had diagnosed Greg as mentally ill.
Exceeding the limits of decency: The legal proceedings
- Overview
- Trial proceedings
- State court appeals
- Conservatorship proceedings
- Execution proceedings
- Competency proceedings
Supporters
International Justice Project
National Mental Health Association
Tennessee Black Caucus
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