Supreme Court declines to hear Texas man's intellectual disability case in capital case
TL;DR
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the execution of Victor Saldaño, a Texas man convicted of murder despite being deemed intellectually disabled. His defense team argued that he should not be executed due to his low IQ of 74, but the court refused to stop the execution.
Key points
- Supreme Court refused to stop Victor Saldaño's execution
- Saldaño was convicted of murder in Texas in 1996
- Experts determined he had an IQ of 74, indicating intellectual disability
Mentioned in this story
The Supreme Court Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to stop the execution of Victor Saldaño, convicted of murder in Texas in 1996, but who subsequently got the support of not just defense experts, but state experts as well, who determined that he was intellectually disabled and thus not eligible for execution under the law.
Saldaño was convicted of murder in a robbery gone wrong, but his first lawyers did not raise the claim of intellectual disability at trial. Saldaño was in the country illegally at the time of the crime. Eventually, however, his case was referred to the Texas Office of Capital Forensic Writs, a state public defender's office. Lawyers there determined that Saldaño had an IQ of 74, within the range that could qualify him for not being executed.
Ben Wolff, the director of the Forensic Writs office, then went to Argentina, where Saldaño was raised. In an interview with NPR, Wolff said neighbors, family, and teachers all agreed that Saldaño was sometimes delusional and unable to understand such simple directions as how to cross the street without being hit by a car.
After viewing the evidence, prosecutors representing the state of Texas agreed that Saldaño should not be eligible for the death penalty. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals disagreed, and Saldaño's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court.
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear Saldaño's case, meaning that he is likely to be executed. His lawyers, however, said they will continue to their fight to prevent his execution.
The vote was 6-to-3 with the court's three liberals dissenting.
"Every expert who has evaluated Mr. Saldaño for intellectual disability agrees he's intellectually disabled," Wolff said in a statement. "The state of Texas, who several years ago sought Mr. Saldaño's execution, now agrees that he meets the criteria for intellectual disability. It is disappointing that the courts have yet to allow us through the courthouse doors to present what we believe to be overwhelming evidence that Mr. Saldaño is intellectually disabled and, as such, the U.S. Constitution forbids his execution."
Q&A
Why did the Supreme Court refuse to hear Victor Saldaño's case?
The Supreme Court declined to intervene in Saldaño's execution despite claims of his intellectual disability, which could exempt him from capital punishment.
What was Victor Saldaño convicted of and what was his IQ?
Victor Saldaño was convicted of murder in 1996 during a robbery gone wrong, and he was determined to have an IQ of 74, which may qualify him as intellectually disabled.
What legal arguments were made regarding Saldaño's intellectual disability?
Saldaño's defense team, along with state experts, argued that his intellectual disability should exempt him from execution, but this claim was not raised during his initial trial.
