Death penalty is so completely wrong

he would probably go along with the likes of Scalia and Thomas.
I agree the death penalty is wrong and should be abolished.

what is the issue now?

You cannot legally execute a person who is so mentally unfit that they cannot understand the punishment. It has nothing to do with their mental fitness to stand trial.

in his own defense,
which is necessary because the defendant is a
witness to the event(if there was one).

It would seem that justice was served.

And they're also against medically assisted suicide and affordable health insurance.

Published on Tuesday, December 02, 2014

by Common Dreams

Lawyers Urge Supreme Court to Halt Execution of Mentally Ill Man

Defense attorneys argue that the execution of Scott Panetti, slated for Wednesday, violates ban on cruel and unusual punishment

by Sarah Lazare, staff writer

Lawyers are appealing to the United States Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort to stop the state of Texas from executing their client, Scott Panetti, who has been diagnosed with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia.

Defense lawyers argue that the execution of a mentally ill person, who is unable to fully grasp the punishment, violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

Fifty-six-year-old Panetti, scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on Wednesday at 6:00 PM, has for 30 years been diagnosed with severe mental illness. In the six years preceding the crime for which he was convicted, he was hospitalized more than a dozen times for psychosis and delusions, according to his lawyers, who are with the Texas Defender Service.

Panetti represented himself during his 1995 trial for capital murder, during which he donned a cowboy costume and attempted to call over 200 witnesses, including John F. Kennedy and Jesus Christ.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/12/02/lawyers-urge-supreme-court-halt-execution-mentally-ill-man

Rick Perry Silent Under Pressure To Delay Execution Of Severely Mentally Ill Man
Posted: 12/02/2014 4:28 pm EST Updated: 39 minutes ago

WASHINGTON -- Scott Panetti is just about out of options. On Wednesday at 6 p.m. CST, the state of Texas will end his life, even though his lawyers say Panetti is severely mentally ill and an execution would violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. One of the only people who can stop the execution, at least temporarily, is Gov. Rick Perry (R).

But with time running out, Perry is so far staying silent, despite mounting pressure on him to intervene.

Panetti is on death row for the 1992 murder of his in-laws, whom he killed while his wife and daughter were watching. He has suffered from schizophrenia and other mental illnesses for over 30 years and been hospitalized more than a dozen times.

On Monday afternoon, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted not to recommend that Panetti's death sentence be commuted to life in prison. The board also rejected a request to delay the execution for 180 days.

Panetti is now left with few options. The most direct route goes through Perry, who can delay the execution for 30 days, in order for further evaluations of Panetti's mental state to be made. (By law, however, the governor cannot single-handedly lift the death sentence.)

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/rick-perry-death-penalty_n_6255454.html