- Gary Green’s spouse, Lovetta Armstead, and her 6-year-old daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, were savagely slain by him.
- Gary Green was put to death in Texas on Tuesday for the savage homicides of his spouse, Lovetta Armstead, and her 6-year-old daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, in 2009.
- Green’s capital punishment was challenged by his legal team, arguing that his cognitive disability and background of mental illness should disqualify him from the death penalty.
- Green surrendered to the authorities and admitted to the killings.
Gary Green’s spouse, Lovetta Armstead, and her 6-year-old daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, were brutally killed by him.
Gary Green was executed in Texas on Tuesday for the brutal murders of his spouse, Lovetta Armstead, and her 6-year-old daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, in 2009.
Green’s death sentence was disputed by his legal representatives, contending that his cognitive disability and history of mental illness should disqualify him from the death penalty.
Green was found guilty in 2010, and court documents disclosed that he fatally stabbed Armstead and drowned Montgomery in a bathtub upon discovering that his spouse wanted to annul their marriage.
Green turned himself in to the authorities and confessed to the killings.
In his final declaration, he expressed regret for his actions and requested forgiveness.
In spite of his legal team’s appeal for further assessments of his cognitive disability, the execution proceeded as planned.
During his trial, experts testified that Green likely had schizoaffective disorder, but his legal representatives argued that his defense counsel did not adequately explore how this condition impacted his life or the role it played in the homicides.
Under Texas law, jurors are permitted to consider mitigating evidence, such as mental illness, when deciding on a death penalty.
Green appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, but his conviction and death sentence were upheld.
The U.S. Supreme Court prohibits the execution of individuals with cognitive disabilities, and Texas defines cognitive disability based on low IQ scores, social interactions, and self-care abilities, among other factors.
Green’s lowest IQ score was 78, which placed him on the “borderline” range of cognitive functioning.
Green had planned to “take five lives” and attempted suicide after killing Armstead and Montgomery.
He turned himself in to the authorities hours later, claiming he believed the family was conspiring against him.
One month before the homicides, he had attempted to seek help at a psychiatric hospital but was misdiagnosed, discharged after four days, and unable to continue his medication due to cost.
Green was also entangled in a legal dispute over the state’s use of expired drugs to execute prisoners.
Inmates claimed that extending the use-by dates for lethal injections violated the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
