USA - Pennsylvania. The State Supreme Court ruled that George Banks, 69, black, is incompetent to be executed.

The State Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that George Banks, 69, black, is incompetent to be executed. The unanimous decision by the state’s high court upholds the May 12, 2010 (see) decision by Luzerne County Judge Joseph Augello who ruled that George Banks cannot be legally put to death for the murders of 13 people because his psychological disorders render him incompetent. Former Judge Michael T. Conahan had already ruled Banks incompetent in 2006 and 2008, but the state Supreme Court rejected those opinions because of procedural errors.  Banks has been on death row since he was convicted in June 1983 on 12 counts of 1st-degree murder and a single count of third-degree murder for a September 1982 shooting spree in Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Twp. that left 13 people, including five of his children and four of his girlfriends, dead. Banks said he killed his children because he felt they would be tormented by the cruelty of racial views against mixed race children. (see also October 31, 2001, June 25, 2004, September 8, 2008, May 12, 2010)