Note: This is the Atkins of "Atkins v. Virginia," in which the Court declared execution of mentally retarded people unconstitutional. The Court followed this reasoning yesterday in Roper v. Simmons when it banned executions of minors.
In more death penalty news we see this...
"Oddly enough, because of his constant contact with the many lawyers that worked on his case," the psychologist, Evan S. Nelson, wrote in a report in November, "Mr. Atkins received more intellectual stimulation in prison than he did during his late adolescence and early adulthood. That included practicing his reading and writing skills, learning about abstract legal concepts and communicating with professionals."
In helping put an end to the death penalty for the mentally retarded, then, Atkins could have ensured his own execution.
Prosecutors say that Atkins has never been retarded and that the recent tests confirm it. "I don't see how a 76 is exculpatory and evidence of mental retardation," Eileen M. Addison, the commonwealth's attorney here, said in court on Thursday. "It needs to be under 70."
So the next time your friends, parents, spouse tells you to pick up your book and study, go out and get some culture, or otherwise engage in intellectual discourse you need to say what I say, "hell no!"
