State ex rel. Clayton v. Griffith
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Cecil Clayton was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. After unsuccessfully pursuing an appeal and post-conviction relief, Clayton filed a federal petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which the federal district court denied. The U.S. Supreme court affirmed that decision. On February 6, 2015, this Supreme Court scheduled the execution of Clayton. Clayton filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus claiming he was not competent to be executed under Ford v. Wainwright, Panetti v. Quarterman, and Mo. Rev. Stat. 552.060.1. The Supreme Court denied Clayton’s petition for writ of habeas corpus and overruled as moot Clayton’s accompanying motion for a stay of execution, holding (1) Clayton was competent to be executed under Ford and Panetti and met the standard for competence in section 552.060.1; (2) Mo. Rev. Stat. 552.060.2 is not unconstitutional; and (3) Clayton is not intellectually disabled under Missouri law and therefore not categorically excluded from eligibility for the death penalty.
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