Texas Denies Artificial Leg for Inmate Set to Die

Yahoo! News ^ | March 19, 2002 | Reuters

[Bubba_Leroy]

A one-legged inmate set to be executed Thursday has requested an artificial leg so he can walk to the death chamber, but Texas prison officials said Tuesday he would not get it.

Rodolfo Hernandez, 52, asked for the leg so he could "walk like a man" to his death by lethal injection in a state prison in Huntsville, Texas.

"I came in with two legs, I want to go out with two legs," said Hernandez, who was condemned to die for killing an illegal immigrant from Mexico during a 1985 robbery in New Braunfels, Texas.

Hernandez lost the leg to diabetes while in prison.

A new leg would cost taxpayers $8,000 and was not considered a medical necessity, especially two days before Hernandez is set to die, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Larry Todd.

"He can be executed without the prosthesis," Todd said.

He said Hernandez would be taken in a wheelchair from his cell to the death chamber, or if he wanted to walk, crutches would be provided.

Hernandez would be the seventh person put to death this year in Texas, which leads the nation in executions.

[Bubba_Leroy]

I say make him crawl.

[PaulJ]

If you'd like to read something interesting, go to this page:Texas Death Row, Executed Offenders and read some of the last statements. You can also find their last meals on the site. It's some interesting reading.

[Mike Johnson]

I know that some of the "compassionate conservatives" around here are going to flame me up the wazoo for this, but here goes anyway. Considering that the guy Hernandez killed was a mojado, shouldn't we have given him a pass? The great State of Texas has probably spent a couple of million dollars to prosecute Hernandez for this crime, and who knows how much to prosecute other crimes against illegal immigrants. Couldn't we save billions if we simply didn't prosecute crimes against illegals? If you're going to enter a country illegally, should you expect to benefit from rule of law? Would you have that expectation if you entered Mexico illegally? Asbestos suit on...

[Tickle Me Pank]

Had the other poster not changed the headline, I'm sure you would have seen his prior post in your search

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I guess you could say that his appeal didn't have a leg to stand on.

;-)

[Slyfox]

An interesting excersize is to read their last statements
and then read what they did to warrant the death penalty.

[Howlin]

Oh man......what a site.

[Howlin]

That makes me CRAZY!

[VOA]

Texas Denies Artificial Leg for Inmate Set to Die

Texas, one of the last sane places on Earth.
Perhaps even in the cosmos.

[Darth Sidious]

Jesse Jackson will be by any minute, complaining that this poor man's legs are being kicked out from beneath him.

[VOA]

Rodolfo Hernandez, 52, asked for the leg so he could "walk like a man" to his death by lethal injection

His conviction record shows no evidence of manhood.

Looks like Texas is ready to rid the herd of one of those two-legged predators
that cleverly disguise themselves as human beings.

Hasta la vista, Rodolfo!

[VOA]

Jesse Jackson will be by any minute, complaining that this poor man's legs are being kicked out from beneath him.

LOL!
Be careful...the Rev.'s partisans may be lurking here...no need for you
to give them the best spin bites they've had in years!

[lonestar]

Dead man not walking.

[.38sw]

If he were incarcerated on death row in California and needed a heart transplant, he would get one. no kidding. Some "ethics panel" set up guidelines for who is eligible for organ transplant, and this panel said that being on death row was not a reason to deny someone a heart transplant!! I don't have the source for this handy, but had read it in the Contra Costa Times fairly recently. The article was in reference to an inmate who had recently gotten a heart transplant, he had a 14-year sentence. The estimate was that this transplant would cost the taxpayers a million dollars during his lifetime.

[Reelect President Dubya]

Hernandez would be the seventh person put to death this year in Texas, which leads the nation in executions.

I'd me more worried about a state that leads the nation in abortions of innocent persons than about a state that leads the nation in the execution of guilty ones.

[GailA]

He can use cut down broom handle for a peg leg.

[t4texas]

Let him squirm like the worm he is . . .
gutless...
and spineless!!

[Shooter 2.5]

I read in Sunday's paper that Oklahoma executes more prisoners than Texas. I don't know the time span. They may only be writing about the last year's report.