Supporters of death row inmate Jamal Howard are asking a Hardin County judge to order a competency hearing before his scheduled Oct. 7 execution, arguing he is intellectually disabled, suffers from chronic schizophrenia and sustained a traumatic brain injury at 17. Authorities say Howard fatally shot clerk Vicky Swartout during a Silsbee convenience store robbery; surveillance video and a TDCJ summary detail the incident. Advocates cite psychiatric evaluations estimating an IQ of 65–70 and emphasize they seek a legal determination of competency, not to minimize the victim's suffering. The deadline to request a competency hearing is reportedly 20 days before the execution (before Sept. 17).
Supporters Seek Competency Hearing for Texas Inmate Jamal Howard Ahead of Oct. 7 Execution
Supporters of death row inmate Jamal Howard are urging a Hardin County judge to order a competency hearing before his scheduled execution on Oct. 7, arguing he is intellectually disabled and mentally ill and may not understand the circumstances of his impending execution.
Alleged Crime and Evidence
According to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice incident summary and authorities, Howard is set to be executed for the fatal shooting of convenience store clerk Vicky Swartout during a robbery in Silsbee. Investigators say he shot Swartout once in the chest, took $114 from the register and reached over the dying clerk to grab a carton of cigarettes. Authorities have said surveillance video captured the robbery and the shooting. Investigators report Howard initially denied involvement but later admitted he committed the crime after being told the incident had been recorded; officers also said he told them he was not sorry.
Supporters' Concerns
At a news conference, advocates led by Rev. Jeff Hood of the Execution Intervention Project argued that Howard has long struggled with cognitive and mental-health issues. Hood said psychiatrists who evaluated Howard around the time of his trial estimated his IQ in the mid-60s to 70 and described him as functioning at the level of an 11- or 12-year-old. Supporters also point to repeated diagnoses of chronic schizophrenia in state prison records and say Howard sustained a traumatic brain injury after being shot in the head at age 17.
“This is not something that is new,” Hood said. “He has struggled with mental illness and cognitive disabilities throughout his life.”
Hood emphasized that supporters are not seeking to minimize the impact of the killing on Swartout's family. He said the request for a competency hearing is not a call to overturn the conviction but a plea for mercy and a legal determination that Howard understands the nature and purpose of his punishment.
Legal Request and Timeline
Supporters have asked Judge Steven Thomas of the 356th District Court in Hardin County to hold a hearing to determine whether Howard is competent to be executed. Under applicable rules, they say the deadline to request such a hearing is 20 days before the execution date, which would place the cutoff before Sept. 17. Hood said, “We are not asking Judge Thomas for a particular ruling. We are simply asking him to hold a competency hearing.”
The Execution Intervention Project said it will continue its campaign as the execution date approaches.
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