This is Robert "Eagle" Clayton, a Native American who was convicted of murder in the State of Oklahoma.
Clayton was also mentally retarded. A psychologist, who testified at the trial, assessed that he had an IQ of 68 (indicating a learning disability), a tendency to be dependent and submissive, and was emotionally immature. The son of alcoholic parents, Robert Clayton had dropped out of school when he was about 12 years old.
At the time of Robert's trial, there was no prohibition against the execution of individuals suffering from mental retardation. However, that changed on June 20, 2002, when the United States Supreme Court ruled (in a case entitled Atkins v. Virginia) that it violates our constitutional protections to execute someone who is "mentally retarded."
The Supreme Court ruling came too late for Clayton and those who knew him. Clayton was executed by the State of Oklahoma on February 2, 2001.
We need to pass a law preventing death sentences for the severely mentally ill before it's too late for someone else.....
