A Texas man, Arthur Lee Burton, is facing execution for the 1997 killing of Nancy Adleman, a mother of three, near her Houston home. Burton was convicted of strangling and attempting to rape Adleman in a wooded area off a jogging trail along a bayou. Despite confessing to the crime initially, Burton later recanted his confession during trial.
His lawyers have argued that Burton exhibits significant limitations in intellectual functioning, as evidenced by low scores on tests of learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Records show that Burton scored below grade-level on standardized testing and struggled with daily activities.
The U.S. Supreme Court was petitioned to stop Burton's execution, citing his alleged intellectual disability. However, prosecutors have contested these claims, stating that Burton did not raise them until shortly before his scheduled execution.
Burton's case has seen legal back-and-forth, with his death sentence being overturned in 2000 but reinstated in 2002. His lawyers accused the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals of bias against prior Supreme Court rulings on intellectual disability determinations.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Burton was scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. If executed, he would be the third inmate put to death in Texas this year.
Meanwhile, in Utah, Taberon Dave Honie was set to be the first inmate executed since 2010 for the 1998 killing of his girlfriend's mother.
