The state of Arkansas is scheduled to execute Ricky Dale Newman, a white man, July 26. He was convicted for the February 2001 murder of 46-year-old Marie Choulette at Lee Creek campsite in Van Buren, Arkansas. The execution is scheduled to take place after the Arkansas Supreme Court granted Newman’s request to drop the appeal filed by his attorney and aunt.

Newman’s case involved issues of profound mental illness. When questioned about the murder by the police, Newman told them he was accompanied by several other people besides Choulette. He named his accomplices as “Psycho,” “Snake,” and “Copper.” The police never found evidence of these characters. Police reports during Newman’s interrogation reveal mood swings, agitation. The reports also revealed that Newman claims to have black out sessions where he becomes “Seaco” and that he has no control over “Seaco’s” actions. Newman admitted to Choulette’s murder.

During the course of the trial Newman proceeded to fire his public defender, waived all of his appeals including mental competency tests and requested an execution as soon as possible. Newman’s execution was stayed once due to a mandatory review of his case by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The court upheld his sentence, and this was the only appeal filed in the case. Last November, Newman tried to waive further appeals; however the court deemed him incompetent due to psychotropic medications administered while in prison.

Later Newman stopped taking his psychotropic medicine and the prosecution subsequently deemed Newman competent to waive counsel and request execution. Ricky’s appellate lawyer, Linda Scribner, described Newman as having serious mental problems, perhaps even split-personality disorder. She noted that Newman was very disruptive during the trial with multiple outbursts including “Kill me, kill me, kill me,” and consequently required gagging due to profanity yelled at the prosecution during their closing statements.

Newman, a man who has clearly demonstrated psychotic behavior, is being executed for a crime in which there is no evidence other than his own confession. This is alarming when one considers the record of legitimacy for such confessions. In a recent study of 42 defendants with wrongful convictions in Illinois murder cases, 25 either confessed falsely or were convicted largely on a codefendant’s false confession.

Newman’s supporters have stated he claims to have no memory of committing the crime and does not believe he is responsible despite the fact that he worked earnestly towards orchestrating his execution through manipulating the jury, waving his right to further appeals, and proclaiming his guilt at every possible opportunity. Newman wore his orange jail-uniform to trial, refusing the plain clothes offered to him. When explaining how and why he killed Cholette, he stated, “I bought her alcohol. I drugged her up. I got her drunk and killed her…” However, the medical examiner testified he’d found only a trace of alcohol, possibly due to decomposition, and insignificant traces of therapeutic drugs in Cholette’s system.

Newman further worked to expedite his death sentence by preventing his defense attorney to present mitigating evidence on his behalf. Since the trial, Newman has told friends that his mother died when he was 8, leaving her 12 children, including Newman, to be sent to live with relatives. He has said this was one of the most painful times of his life because he learned that no relatives wanted him. Newman reported that before his mother’s death he can remember being frequently tied to a tree in his back yard and that he does not know who is father is. The jury was not informed of this or any other mitigating information. They were, however, repeatedly informed of the confession Newman sent to the judge, prosecutor, and media prior to his trial.

Clearly, Ricky Newman suffers from severe mental illness. Please urge the immediate commutation and treatment of Ricky Dale Newman. Urge Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to stop this execution and actively oppose the execution of the mentally ill!