TX - Laura Thomas, 20, & 2 kids brutally murdered, Sherman, 27 March 2004

[Tessie]

This happened in my county. It was awful. I don't know if links have been posted but one of our local stations covered pretty closely. The links on the left tell the story.

http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/37299199.html

Tessie

 

[Kat]

Hi Tessie, thanks for the links. I'm down on the county line of Coryell and Bell Counties. I had not heard of this case.

What struck me in the links you provided was this statement:

"The doctor was appointed by the state to examine Thomas and testified that the accused murderer suffers from schizophrenia."

This I believe to be the one pass out of recieving the DP. It's just my own opinion that when someone commits a crime while suffering from psychosis or psychosis from schizophrenia they need to be housed in a prison where they can be treated for their illness. Still in custody but treated. Like I said my own two cents though.

 

[southcitymom]

Hey y'all - there's a thread for this here http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77812. Perhaps a mod will combine the two.

 

[southcitymom]

Hey y'all - there's a thread for this here http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77812.

Perhaps a mod will combine the two.

 

[Filly]

Gadzooks. Ate his own eyeball? Criminally insane for certain.

 

[Drivenon]

How does one rule that someone is competent to stand trial after they pull out their eye?

Geesh you'll have to read the rest of the article yourselves but clearly this um Male Person is a complete and utter insane nutter.

He also stabbed himself in the chest when he killed his family and then he went and turned himself in at the police station.

Lock him up forever in a psyche place and throw away the key

He stabbed to death a 20 yr old, 13mo old and a 4 year old, and then ripped their hearts out with his own hands and put them in his pocket.
THEN
rips out his left eye before trial

Yep, I think this one's a goner, point is, he did not wake up that way. Is this another case of everyone ignoring the warning signs. Every article I read said a "history of mental problems".. Were these victims failed for protection by a high risk individual??

 

[MeoW333]

Ew!! I'm not sure if they should execute him to put him out of his misery or send him to the psych ward for life..??!!

 

[Linda7NJ]

http://news.aol.com/article/texas-inmate-pulls-out-eye-eats-it/300363

That's just gross!

Hey,one piece at a time........ Hand him a knife and fork and let him have at it!

 

[leophoenix]

http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/835182.html

In 2004 he was found incompetent to stand trial due to schizophrenia but, was charged anyway due to a confession.

From link...

During Thursday’s hearing, Thomas sat fidgeting next to his attorneys, and at one point asked them if this was his trial. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that as of now, Thomas is not competent to stand trial.

In the next week, he'll be transferred to Vernon State Hospital's mental health facility. He will remain there until he is found competent to stand trial.

The whole case can be found here.
http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/37299199.html

Eww though

 

[Drivenon]

http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/835182.html

In 2004 he was found incompetent to stand trial due to schizophrenia but, was charged anyway due to a confession.

From link...

During Thursday’s hearing, Thomas sat fidgeting next to his attorneys, and at one point asked them if this was his trial. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that as of now, Thomas is not competent to stand trial.

In the next week, he'll be transferred to Vernon State Hospital's mental health facility. He will remain there until he is found competent to stand trial.

The whole case can be found here.
http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/37299199.html

Eww though

By all accounts, this man was a deeply distrurbed individual for a very long time, although he was only 21 when this occurred. Prior to this act, in my opinion, the system failed this man and his victims. There was EVERY indication he was a schyzo, possibly even diagnosed as a juvenile but those records would have been sealed. He taped his own mouth shut for a day because he was hearing voices and God told him to.

While he was found incompetent, the DA witheld the 3rd indictment from the first 2, he was then found competent to stand trial for that crime- which makes zero sense to me as he was on suicide watch with a clear cell when he plucked his own eye out, once removed from the psych facility.

How did not one individual see this coming and protect this woman and her babies? Was he on meds and then went off them? Under a Dr's care who perhaps should have had him committed? I just cannot stand the sheer preventiveness of this and nobody in the legal system seems to be asking the questions.

 

[Levi]

Ew!! I'm not sure if they should execute him to put him out of his misery or send him to the psych ward for life..??!!

They cannot hault an execute because some freak decides to eat his own eye, it doesn't matter if he insane or not. He was convicted and sentenced to death, he is being punished for what he did, and who he was then. He killed an infant. He is a evil scum bag, and when he gets that needle in the arm, I say good riddance.

I'm not sure that this isn't a stunt where he tries to gain sympathy from the bleeding hearts out there, that hold candle light vigil's for death row inmates.

 

[Levi]

What the "?"....

He had plucked out his right eye in 2004, he plucks out his left eye in 2009.

From that article:

"While in the Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Thomas plucked out his right eye before his trial later in 2004. A judge subsequently ruled he was competent to stand trial."

I am inclined to side with the defense attorney when she stated:

""He is insane and mentally ill."

I'm just at a loss for words here.

How do we know he isn't trying to get sympathy? He has an execution coming up, and he pulls this stunt.

 

[Linda7NJ]

How do we know he isn't trying to get sympathy? He has an execution coming up, and he pulls this stunt.

Personally, I think he's as crazy as them come. BUT I do not care. He's no different IMO than a rabid dog that needs to be put down.

Doesn't make much sense to me to fix him and then turn around and execute him. As a tax payer...I wouldn't want to pay to keep him in a criminal psych ward for the rest of his life either.

 

[Kat]

How do we know he isn't trying to get sympathy? He has an execution coming up, and he pulls this stunt.

Levi, with all due respect (and I mean that sincerely not sarcastically) I would think that there were a lot of stunts to pull rather than to pluck out the one remaining eye ball that you have and to then eat it.

 

[Drivenon]

They cannot hault an execute because some freak decides to eat his own eye, it doesn't matter if he insane or not. He was convicted and sentenced to death, he is being punished for what he did, and who he was then. He killed an infant. He is a evil scum bag, and when he gets that needle in the arm, I say good riddance.

I'm not sure that this isn't a stunt where he tries to gain sympathy from the bleeding hearts out there, that hold candle light vigil's for death row inmates.

I agree with you that I dont much care of this man's fate. But I also truly believe that he was deeply disturbed in a way that he should have been stopped beforehand.. That is my issue.. Who failed to protect this woman and her children?

 

[GlitchWizard]

How do we know he isn't trying to get sympathy? He has an execution coming up, and he pulls this stunt.

Eating your eyeball is a great idea to garner sympathy. I think I'll try that sometime. No wait, I'm sane. Maybe I'll just pretend my stomach hurts.

 

[Sporky]

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090318_tnt_death-row-eyeball.4a135568.html

 

[Linda7NJ]

Thanks for the update!