Last night, November 6, 2019, the State of Texas executed Justen Hall. He was sentenced to death by an El Paso County jury in 2005 for the murder of Melanie Billhartz in 2002. Hall had asked to give up his appeals at several points during his time on death row. More than 30 other individuals have been executed by the State of Texas after waiving their appeals.
According to the Texas Tribune, Hall’s lawyers asked an El Paso court to delay Hall’s execution until experts can evaluate his competency. Hall refused contact with counsel for at least two years, which his attorneys argued signifies a drastic decline in his mental state.
Hall was the first person executed from El Paso County since 2010 and the eighth person executed by the State of Texas this year. Three more executions are scheduled in 2019, while four executions have been scheduled already for 2020.