Allan Turner at the Houston Chronicle reports that another death row inmate in Texas has committed suicide ("Mentally ill killer found hanging in cell," Feb. 4, 2008). William Robinson, who was under psychiatric care for an unspecificied mental illness, had been on death row since 1985.
Here's the article:
"A psychologically troubled inmate sentenced to die for a 1985 Houston robbery-murder has become the second Harris County killer to commit suicide in state prison in a four day period, Texas prison officials said today.
William Robinson, 49, condemned for his role in the June 11, 1985 murder of Steve Creasey, 26, at a Montrose apartment complex, was found hanging from a bed sheet in his Jester 4 Unit cell at 5 a.m. Friday.
A prison spokeswoman said Robinson had been transferred from death row to the Fort Bend County prison, reserved for psychiatric care, in September.
Just three days earlier, Jesus Flores, sentenced to die for the May 22, 2001 murder of Harris County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Dennis, bled to death in his death row cell after cutting his throat with a razor blade.
Robinson's death brings to nine the number of condemned killers who have taken their own lives since the Texas death penalty was reinstated in 1974.
Lyons said psychiatric patients are checked by guards at 15-minute intervals; death row prisoners are checked every 30 minutes.
Robinson was alive but unresponsive when found in his single-occupancy cell, Lyons said. He was taken to a Richmond hospital, where doctors determined he was brain dead. Life support was discontinued at the request of his family. He died at 6:19 p.m.
Lyons said privacy regulations precluded her from revealing Robinson's psychiatric diagnosis, but noted that he had been treated at the mental health facility on several occasions.
Prisons inspector general John Moriarty, who investigates such deaths, could not immediately be reached for comment."
The article is available at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5512123.html.
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1 comment:
Hey i am writing a paper in suicide in prison and i saw you blog. very interesting.i wanted to ask you a question. WHY we try to prevent inmates who are in Death ROW of committing suicide. what is the purpose of it? They cant take their own life because the gov. have to do that and the institution and family vic. to feel the pleasure while he or she is dieing? i hope you can help me with this.
thank you very much!
PS my name is kaltrina and my email is:
kaltrinapajaziti@gmail.com
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