Richard Lee Tabler, a Texas man convicted of murdering his strip club manager and another man in 2004, is set to be executed on Thursday. Tabler later used a smuggled cellphone on death row to threaten a lawmaker, resulting in a massive lockdown of the state prison system. He confessed to also killing two teenage girls who worked at the club. Tabler has requested to drop his appeals and be executed, raising questions about his mental competency. He has a history of suicide attempts and his case has been marred by allegations of inadequate legal representation.
The ACLU appealed Tabler’s case to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming he was denied adequate representation due to his mental illnesses. The court refused to halt his execution. Tabler’s murders were reportedly motivated by a conflict with his boss, leading to a planned ambush that resulted in the deaths of the manager and his friend. Tabler confessed to the killings and threatened more violence before his arrest. The pending execution has stirred controversy and raised questions about mental health in the criminal justice system. Senator John Whitmire, who was threatened by Tabler on death row, declined to comment on the situation. Tabler’s case highlights the complexity of issues surrounding the death penalty and mental illness in the criminal justice system.
