NAMI National Clemency Letter to Governor Easley November 27, 2006

Governor Michael Easley
Office of the Governor, State Capitol
Capitol Square
Raleigh NC 27611 

Re:            Scheduled Execution of Guy T. LeGrande

 Sent via facsimile transmission to  

Dear Governor Easley, 

On behalf of NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness), I am writing to urge you to grant clemency to Guy T. LeGrande, who is scheduled for execution on December 1, 2006.  As the nation’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses, NAMI believes that permitting Mr. LeGrande’s execution to proceed would be both cruel and inhumane.  We do not attempt to excuse the underlying crime, nor overlook the suffering of his victim and her family.  However, executing Mr. LeGrande will serve only to compound the tragedy that has already occurred without serving the interests of justice and mercy.

 There is clear evidence that Mr. LeGrande suffered from a severe mental illness during his trial and that he remains severely ill on death row.  Moreover, there is evidence that his illness has impacted in a profoundly negative way both on decisions he has made about his case as well as the fairness of the proceedings that resulted in his death sentence.

Throughout his trial and incarceration, Mr. LeGrande consistently denied that he has a mental illness and refused all efforts to raise mental illness as a factor mitigating against the imposition of the death penalty.  He was permitted to represent himself at trial despite serious questions about his competency to do so.  From all reports, he rambled incoherently, engaged in efforts to intimidate the jury, and challenged the jury to “pull the switch.”  He has continued to reject all psychiatric treatment while in prison and has refused to cooperate with attorneys during the appeals process.    

 Governor Easley, we appreciate your enormous responsibilities to protect public safety and maintain public justice.  At the same time, principles of compassion and decency strongly mitigate against the execution of an individual as severely and profoundly ill as Mr. LeGrande.  Please commute his death sentence to one of life imprisonment where he can receive appropriate treatment for his severe mental illness in a secure facility.

 We appreciate your careful attention to this urgent request. 

                                                            Sincerely

                                                            Michael J. Fitzpatrick, M.S.W.

                                                            Executive Director