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10 million see

in Tennessee

Judge Campbell's barbarism

in Tennessee

.....



http://www.smu.edu/~deathpen

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A federal judge refused to intervene Monday in a man's execution for slaying two restaurant workers during a three-month spree in 1997 that also left five others dead.



The sister of Paul Dennis Reid had tried to halt his execution by lethal injection, arguing he was mentally ill when he dropped his appeals.



U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell acknowledged Reid's contention that military technology is controlling him and said he was, indeed, mentally ill. But Campbell said Reid "knowingly, intelligently, voluntarily and rationally" dropped his appeals and understood that execution was "final and irreversible."



The ruling came a little more than 12 hours before Reid's scheduled execution early Tuesday. There was no immediate word whether his sister, Janet Kirkpatrick of Hungerford, Texas, would appeal the decision.



In all, Reid received seven death sentences in the string of robbery-murders in Nashville and Clarksville. He cleared the way for his execution when he stopped appeals in two of the cases last month.



The judge issued the ruling after hearing Monday from four witnesses, including Reid.



During 1 1/2 hours on the witness stand, Reid repeatedly told the judge he is not mentally ill. But he repeated claims made in an Associated Press interview last week that the U.S. military is using technology to make his ears ring and control his behavior.



While he did not acknowledge guilt, Reed several times mentioned the victims and said, "Three juries in the Bible Belt state of Tennessee have already decided I am guilty. I understand the ramifications and I accept the verdict."



The U.S. Supreme Court had refused to intervene last week.



A Texas drifter who moved to Nashville to attempt a country music career, Reid was fired as a dishwasher from a Shoney's restaurant on Feb. 15, 1997, for losing his temper and throwing a plate that hit another employee.