We are deeply troubled that a capital sentence was the result of a trial where a man with schizophrenia represented himself, dressed in a costume.

Excerpt from a petition filed to block the execution of Scott Panetti, a mentally ill man scheduled to die by lethal injection in Texas on Dec. 3. Panetti, who was convicted of kiling his in-laws, tried to call President John F. Kennedy and Jesus Christ as witnesses and wore a purple cowboy suit and a 10-gallon hat to court during his trial.