The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily halted the execution of an Alabama man convicted of shooting a police officer in the back of the head in 1985.
Vernon Madison, 67, was scheduled to be given the lethal injection at 6pm Thursday night at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.
Less than an hour before the execution, the Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt to consider his last-minute appeal. The execution is delayed indefinitely, until the court issues another order.
Madison’s lawyers said he shouldn’t be executed because he is blind, can’t walk without assistance and can’t remember the murder or understand his punishment.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the execution of Vernon Madison, 67, less than an hour before it was scheduled to consider his appeal. He has suffered several severe strokes which left him with impaired cognitive ability and he developed dementia
During his 30-year incarceration, Vernon has suffered several severe strokes which left him with impaired cognitive ability and he developed dementia.
Doctors cited by lawyers say his IQ is 72, which is considered below average.
Madison had already eaten his last meal – two oranges. He had no other special requests.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that he is smart enough to understand why he is being executed, even if he does not remember it.
He has been on death row since 1985, when he was sentenced to execution for the murder of Mobile police Cpl. Julius Schulte.
Madison (seen left in an undated booking photo) crept up behind Mobile Cpl. Julius Schulte (right) and shot him in the back of the head in April, 1985. Madison was at home arguing with his girlfriend who called the cops. Schulte was the responding officer
Schulte was responding to a domestic call at Madison’s ex-girlfriend’s home in April 1985 when he was killed.
After initially breaking up the fight, Madison told the police officer he was leaving. Instead, he fetched a pistol and came back to the home and shot Schulte in the back of the head.
A jury sentenced him to life in prison without parole, but the trial judge overrode their decision to sentence him to death.
For decades, Madison and his lawyers have tried to appeal the conviction.
They have claimed racial prejudice and improper jury selection to try to get the case thrown out. His conviction has always been upheld by the courts.
Madison’s lawyers say he has an IQ of 72 and does not understand why he is being executed
In 2016, his attorneys at the Equal Justice Initiative won him a stay which prevented his execution at the 11th hour.
They argued that he does not understand why the state is attempting to execute him and that because of his condition, he is incompetent for capital punishment.
His execution will be the first in Alabama in 2018 if it goes ahead.
When the Supreme Court made its decision in November last year, its judges argued that even though Madison may not remember his own crime, he understands the law so much as to understand that anyone who commits murder is punishable by execution.
They argued that this proved mental competency because he understood why he was being executed, even though he did not remember carrying out the murder for which he was being executed.
They also argued that Madison ‘understands’ that he carried out the crime.
‘Testimony from each of the psychologists who examined Madison supported the court’s finding that Madison understands both that he was tried and imprisoned for murder and that Alabama will put him to death as punishment for that crime,’ they said in their ruling.
He was scheduled to be given the lethal injection at 6pm on Thrusday in the death chamber at Atmore’s Holman Correctional Facility