July 24 (UPI) -- Family members, mental health service providers and advocates for people with disabilities Thursday called on Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee to stop the scheduled Aug. 5 execution of Byron Black, a man diagnosed with dementia and brain damage.
Advocates called on Lee to instead commute Black's death sentence to life in prison which they say is in accordance with the United States and Tennessee constitutions.
"A man should not be executed because his lawyers were too diligent in bringing his case to the courts expeditiously in 2004 when the Tennessee ID standards were inaccurate," said Donna Destefano, a 30-year advocate for Tennessee residents with disabilities.
"There is no doubt that Mr. Black meets the medical standard for ID, and that his execution would not only be unconstitutional but inconsistent with our Tennessee values that protect people with intellectual disability."
Related
