panetti scott panetti's execution.rican psychiatric has come forward, but also political conservatives have spoken out. i think this shows there has been an emerging consensus that the seriously mentally ill like scott panetti should not be executed. and this is an issue that the to havecourt is going to confront. certainly, with scott's case, but also with the cases of other seriously mentally ill who are on death row around this country. it do honberg, what is you think people need to understand most about people who suffer from schizophrenia, whether they are in prison or on the outside? what do you think are the key issues that people might not know about schizophrenia? >> first of all, most people with schizophrenia are not violent. and with treatment, many people with schizophrenia can lead productive and meaningful lives and do so. but what people who have not experienced the terrifying symptoms of schizophrenia don't understand, it is a hard thing to really understand unless you have experienced it, is that whi

scott panetti was to be put to death for killing husband in-laws. his attorneys won a reprieve.eidi jo-castro has more. >> 56-year-olds scott panetti lives another day, avoiding his scheduled execution by hours. the 5th circuit court of appeals says it is staying the electrocution to consider the complex legal questions at issue. an honorabley discharged navy vet was diagnosed as a schizophrenic. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. in 1992, he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing that this was a fight between good and evil and, in killing them, he was getting rid of the devil. >> but that defense never made it into evidence because panetti was allowed to respect himself. he dressed as a cowboy, tried to subpoena god and j.f.k. and told jurors an alter ego named sarge was responsible for the murders. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i have ever seen. >> dr. seth civil eshleman was hired to assess his competency in 2007. he felt panetti did not have a rational understanding of his punishment. >> in my opinion, it was prett

as a matter of fact, the state of texas in the case of scott panetti is doingly that. the guarantees have failed in purpose and process of procedure. >> you know, there is that saying that anyone who goes pro se, anyone who represents themselves has a fool for a client. but in this case it seems he had a nut for a client. this is someone who shows signs of being out of contact with reality. yet those protections, those break points that you have identified in your first answer don't seem to have been there. >> well, what we know, i'm currently a defense attorney in the military, is that a lot of people in the criminal justice system have mental health issues. whether those issues rise to the level of this gentleman in texas, his mental health issues, you can't say for sure. i assume that texas like most states allow people to represent themselves. it's hardly ever a good idea, ray. it just is not. i've always counseled clients against it. but they do have that right. if the judge jumped through the hoops and asked him or her the questions pursuant to state law, it may

. >> panetti, an honorbly discharged naval veteran was diagnosed as a schizophrenic at age 20. medication did not work. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. then in 1992 he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing this was a fight between good and evil, and in killing them he was getting rid of the devil. >> reporter: panetti insisted on representing himself at trial. >> scott wore a cowboy outfit with a purple necker chef. he tucked his jeans in his cowboys and waved a cowboy bible and spoke obsessively about cowboys and broncos. >> panetti tried to subpoena god, john f. kennedy, and the pope and said that sergeant was responsible for the killings. the charge, going. sentence, death. he has been on death row for 19 years. he has not received treatment for schizophrenia for much of that time and has been in steady decline. they assessed panetti in up. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i've ever seen. >> but he was found competent to be executed. a defend must rationally understand that he's being punished for his crime. the j

panetti an honorably discharged navy vet. hospitalized more than a dozen times then in 1992 he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing that this was a fight between good and evil and in killing them he was getting rid of the devil. >> but that defense never made it into evidence because panetti was allowed to defend himself, dressed like a cowboy, said sarge was responsible for the murders. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i've ever seen. >> a doctor was hired to assess his competency in 2007. did not have a rational understanding of his punishment. >> in my opinion it is clear that he did not understand the reason he was being put to death. he thought he was put to death because he was preaching the gospel. >> they are grateful that the court agreed to postpone the execution, it would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. that question is still before the u.s. supreme court. now, the state's argument is that panetti is faking his schizophrenia and as evidence they submitted ho

. >> that's right, the question is whether scott panetti is legally competent. his attorney said that his illness changes and he's sicker than before. >> scott panetti will live mother day. the fifth circuit court of appeals will stay the execution pending further order of the court to allow us to fully consider the late arriving and complex legal issues. >> he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. then in 1992 he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing that this was a fight between good and evil, and in killing them he was getting rid of the devil. >> but that defense never made it into evidence because panetti was allowed to represent himself as trial. he dressed as a cowboy, and tried to subpoena god and jfk and told an alter ego named sergeant was responsible for the murders. >> he has the strongest form of schizophrenia that i've ever seen. >> reporter: he said that panetti did not have an understanding of his punishment. >> in my opinion he did not understand why he was being put to death. he thought he was being put to death for pre

>> the question is panetti competent to go through execution. hthe judge ruled that he was competent, but his attorney said that that was a long time ago, and he's sicker than ever before. >> scott panetti lives another day, avoiding execution. the court of appeals said it will stay the execution to further order of the court to allow us to fully consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at the issue in this matter. he was given medication. medication did not work. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. and then in 1992 he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing this was a fight between good and evil, and in killing them he was getting rid of the devil. >> the evidence did never made it in trial. he represented himself. he dressed as a cowboy and tried to subpoena god and john f. kennedy. >> this is one of the worst cases of schizophrenia i've ever seen. >> they say that panetti did not have a rational understanding of his punishment. >> my opinion is that he did not know the right reason he was being put to

doesn't understand that his pending execution is for the crime that he committed. >> if scott panettiis executed on wednesday, we're taking a step that in this country is unprecedented. someone with his severe mental illness was permitted to represent himself in this trial and we will have crossed a moral line. >> panetti, whether he has a factual and rational understanding of his punishment, there is a cause-effect relationship between the murders he committed and his impending execution. >> the american couple stuck in qatar after the death of their daughter will soon be headed home. qatar lifted the travel ban for them to return home. immigration officials seized their passports when they tried to leave the country. the captain of the concordia cruise ship was charged in italy. 32 people died when the ship ran aground. the ship remained partially submerged for more that two years before it was salvaged. four others pleaded guilty and are serving prison time. >>> top executives from all four major sports leagues answered questions about how they deal with domestic violence. it's bee

panettis lawyers say their client who is skit phrenic is too dilutional to be executed. in the defense of his trial, he wore a cowboy outfit and tried to call jesus and john f. kennedy to the witness stand. >>> next we head to ferguson, missouri, where michael brown's stepfather that is apologized. police are investigating whether head's cries of burn this expletive down amounted to eenciting a riot. i screamed out words i shouldn't have schemed screementd out in the heat of the moament. i humbly ask for those to understand what we need for our community. it wasn't. >>> we end in cuba where thursday marked the third anniversary of u.s. contractor allen gross on espionage charges. in 2011 gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was accused of being part of a plot to overthrow the cuban government. in a statement asking for gross's release, his family warned his condition is deteriorating rapidly, enough is enough. he has lost 100 pounds, five of his teeth and much of his eyesight. when senator mars coe rubio said all free nations around the world have a moral d

panetti is too severely mentally ill to be executed." and in upstate new york a longtime peace activist has been sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay a $1000 fine for demonstrating outside the gates of new york's hancock field air national guard base, which is used to remotely pilot u.s. drone attacks. mark colville, who appeared on democracy now! on tuesday, was facing two years in prison for his role in the peaceful protest, but the judge decided not to send him to jail. colville celebrated after the decision. >> i am a person of hope and my hope is grounded in my fellow human beings, among whom is the judge. i choose to think the best of him, which is that perhaps on some level, his conscience was moved to do something in the way of rightness and fairness and justice in this case. >> more than 100 people have been arrested over the past five years as part of nonviolent campaign against drone attacks organized by the upstate drone coalition. and those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now, democra

panetti set to die tonight by lethal injection for shooting his in-laws in 1992. developing story out of boston for you. doctors at massachusetts general hospital announced yesterday that they're test ago patient suspected of contracting the ebola virus. hospital sent out memo to staff saying someone who is being monitored by the state was admitted to be evaluated after showing symptom. the patient is being treated in a specially prepared isolation area. >> in your health, may and major shift. new stud you find brain scans can diagnosis autism with 97% accuracy. carnegie melon researchers examined how the brain responds to social interactions like a hug. they say the difference in how somebody with a autism processes that information can be scene on the. you. >> nude i slings to longer life. mediterranian diets high in fruit, veggies, oil i have oil. these foods help stay biologically young, can help prevent some chronic diseases, like heart disease or perhaps cancer. the study published in the bmj. >> so, we've all heard about mean girls, but boys might actually

scott panetti is set for lethal injection wednesday for the 1992 shooting deaths of his in-laws at their lawyers ark that he is too mentally ill and execution would violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. >>> and from beta wired, international space station not getting an espresso machine any time soon. it was scheduled for blastoff last month, but complications have pushed it to april of 2015. so just doing it without -- you know? >>> some other stories a billboard along a busy wisconsin highway is the talk of the town. a group of atheists paid for the ad featuring with a letter to santa, dear santa, all i want for christmas is to church. off. >>> this is causing some real traffic trouble -- >> beautiful. >> but the weight of the ice is causing branchs to break and it's blocking roadways there. several highways were closed on monday, so officials can clean it up. but boy, that sure is pretty. >>> with selfies becoming so popular, more americans are turning to plastic surgery -- >> there's why i'm getting plastic surgery. >> between 2012 and 2013, plastic

scott panetti was convicted in 1995, three years after he shot and killed his estranged wife's parentsn front of his wife and young daughter. he was diagnosed with schizophrenia years before the murders but during his trial and appeals, the courts did not find him incompetent or insane. >>> scottsdale, arizona, a bo who got stuck in a chimney will be okay. the 13-year-old tried to enter his house that way. he got locked out. reports said he called 911 after getting stuck near the bottom of the chimney. he almost made it. took 90 minutes for rescue crews to free the boy. >>> new video out of china shows a robber who was foiled because he tried to get away with too much money. the robber used a fake gun to hold up a staff member of a bank as the worker unloaded an armored van in march. the robber grabs a bag with nearly $300,000 inside. as you see, he is unable to put the pag bag onmotorcycle. police arrested the man several minutes later. >>> new concerns this morning about lithium batteries and whether they are safe to fly on a plane carrying large shipments of them. look at this faa t

scott panetti was supposed to be put to death yesterday for killing his inlaws.now he'll go through a new round of tests for schizophrenia. >> in new york city new questions are being raised about the grand jury process. >> a process that differs from state to state, and often works in secrecy. how they work and why they often don't indict a police officer. >> the next step in space travel. we have a live look in cape canaveral, florida, we wait for the launch in the next 15 minutes, the mission that could put an astronaut on mars [ protesting ] >> outrage on the streets of new york city protesters angry over the grand jury clearing a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. the grand jury process differs across the country, but for the most part the proceedings are closed and shrouded in secrecy. >> randall pinkston looked at how it's handled in new york,. >> new york city consists of five counties each with its own prosecutor. in richmond county staten island, where eric garner died last july during an arrest by new york police offic

lawyers for scott panetti had asked for the stay on the grounds of his 30-year fight with mental illness. arguing that executing a man with schizophrenia amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. but texas officials has claimed those lawyers exaggerated his illness. this had gone to the supreme court at one point over the last few years. i'm joined by ari melber. first of all, what do we know about the appeals court? the last-minute stay that was issued a few hours ago? >> yeah, brand new within the hour. it is basically a two-line ruling from the fifth circuit to federal appeals court that oversees texas saying, stop, you cannot execute him as planned and not giving any reasons beyond that other than they want to address and have more time to look at these complex legal issues that relate to his sanity. >> what's different about this case versus other cases involving mental illness in the state of texas? because had he been executed tonight, he would not have been the first, or even the first 12 people executed in texas who had some sort of mental illness. >> clearly not, craig. the firs

. >>> supreme court stopped the execution of scott panetti he confessed to murdering his estranged wife's in 1992. he also wore a cowboy costume and subpoenaed more than 200 witnesses, including the pope, jfk and jesus. lawyers for the 56-year-old argued his mental state deteriorated since his last evaluation in 2007. texas prosecutors say he has exaggerated his symptoms. let me get this straight... yes? lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and try lactaid® supplements with your first bite to dig in to all your dairy favorites. americans drink 48 billion that's enough plastic bottles to stretch around the earth 230 times. each brita filter can replace 300 of those. clean. clear. brita water. nothing is better. i have a cold with terrible chest congestion. better take something. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes reli

breaking news now from texas where a federal appeals court has issued a halt to the execution of scott panetti. attorneys for the death row inmate argue their client should not be killed because they say he is severely mentally ill. it has been five years now, also, since usaid subcontractor alan gross was taken into custody in cuba. today the white house put out a statement on his imprisonment saying, in part, we remain deeply concerned for alan's health and reiterate our call for his release. for alan's wife judy, that is not enough. judy gross saying enough is enough, my husband has paid a terrible price for serving his country and community. adding, it is time for president obama to bring alan back to the united states now, otherwise it will be too late. gross was detained in 2009 for bringing in satellite equipment to cuba in violation of cuban law. he was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison. this is andrea mitchell reports only on msnbc. ring ring! ...progresso! you soup people have my kids loving vegetables. well vegetables... shh! taste better in our savory broth. vegetables!? no