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one South Carolina The judge allowed enforcement to be enforced without proof that he was mentally powerless when he ruled that the person’s beliefs (including most laws) were unconstitutional.
Steven Bixby, 58, will die in May Killed in 2003 Among the two policemen before the state Supreme Court, he stopped the execution to determine his psychological abilities. Asking the lower court to evaluate whether his belief in the legal system means his lawyers cannot defend him.
Judge R. Scott Sprouse’s latest ruling has provided a green light for enforcement at least for now. Scott addressed concerns about Bixby’s attorney defending his ability, and his clients worked with his legal team and psychiatrists who treated and questioned him.
The judge wrote that while Bixby “regularly disagrees with lawyers and distrusts their strategies in this process, the evidence shows that he understands their role and the reasons why they engage in this competency process and that he has the choice to work with them.”
Steven Bixby, 58, was sentenced to death when two policemen were convicted of killing in 2003. (South Carolina Department of Corrections through AP)
Bixby’s attorneys can request an appeal to the ruling.
According to the Associated Press, he recently said in a handwritten motion to the court that the judge who ruled against him was directed by Satan and advised the judge to stop the execution and release his custody if he failed to stop the execution. A psychologist has previously said that Bixby knew what caused his death, but he believed that the blood found on his clothes on the night of murder contains the DNA of Jesus Christ.
Bixby wrote in the motion via AP: “I am an innocent person! Let the ring of freedom, let those who treason be like Thomas Jefferson: I must stick to principles even if I stand alone.”
In December 2003, Bixby shot Abiville County Deputy Representative Danny Wilson, who ran down the front door of his parents’ home the day after threatening the road crew, according to officials.
Wilson’s dying body was pulled into the house by his family and bound in his own handcuffs. Investigators said Bixbys killed Donnie Ouzts, the state police department, as he and other officials responded to the house, as Wilson disappeared for an hour, resulting in a 12-hour standoff as officials and family shot each other.
Bixby’s parents were also charged with murder but died thereafter.
South Carolina death row inmates citing “sovereign citizen” defense to avoid execution
The judge ruled that Steven Bixby’s beliefs, including most laws being unconstitutional, did not prove that he was mentally incompetent. (AP)
In a motion filed with the court, Bixby reiterated his long-standing belief that his family made sense to kill Wilson because the agents tried to help occupy their land.
The handwritten motion came after a judge held a hearing last month to determine whether Bixby was mentally enforced.
At the hearing, Bixby’s lawyer said he firmly believed that the U.S. legal system was unconstitutional and wrong and refused to share information that helped him avoid enforcement. Prosecutor argued that Bixby’s beliefs were shared by others and that he understood why the country had to end its own life.
An expert summoned by Bixby’s lawyers said the prison isolation only made his faith more delusional, and Bixby fell into a mentality.
The judge said Steven Bixby worked with his legal team and the psychiatrists who treated him. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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The judge stressed that two experts convened by the state had been dealing with Bixby shortly after his suicide, and although Bixby was angry at their previous testimony about their psychological condition, he knew they needed to do their work.
Experts in the state testified that Bixby would not give up his belief in the legal system and that he considered himself a martyr who was ready to die for his faith if his appeal failed. They said Bixby thought he would meet his parents again in heaven.
Psychiatrist who saw and treated death row inmates in South Carolina said Bixby described his mental state as: “I’m not a lunatic. I’m not a mental health case. I might be a [expletive]but I’m not crazy. ”
When Bixby does not appeal regularly State Supreme Court The execution was stopped in March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
