USA - Texas. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals commuted to life the death sentence of Timothy Cockrell after it decided he was mentally impaired

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals commuted to life the 1993 death sentence of Timothy Cockrell after it decided he was mentally impaired and ineligible for execution. Cockrell, now 45, was convicted of the 1992 robbery-slaying of 35-year-old Sandra Deptawa. In his confession to police, he said he intended to steal items to support a $600-a-day cocaine habit. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 ruled it was unconstitutional to execute mentally disabled people. In 2005, attorneys for Cockrell raised the mental capacity claims and the state appeals court sent the case back to the Bexar County trial court for a hearing. The trial court recommended the sentence be commuted to life and the appeals court today agreed.