Travis Mullis, a Texas man, is scheduled to be executed for the killing of his 3-month-old son more than 16 years ago. Mullis has a history of mental illness and has repeatedly waived his right to appeal his death sentence. The execution is scheduled to take place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Mullis took his son from his home in Brazoria County and drove to nearby Galveston after fighting with his girlfriend. He sexually assaulted his son, who began to cry uncontrollably. Mullis then strangled his son and stomped on his head before leaving the infant’s body on the side of the road. Mullis fled from Texas but later turned himself in to police in Philadelphia. His lawyers did not plan to file any final appeals to stay his lethal injection.
In a letter submitted to U.S. District Judge George Hanks in Houston, Mullis accepted responsibility for his son’s death and stated that “his punishment fits the crime.” Despite requests to waive his appeals, Mullis has at times changed his mind. His attorneys have argued that Mullis suffered from severe mental illness since childhood and was a victim of childhood sexual abuse. However, courts have ruled that Mullis has been competent in his decisions to waive his appeals.
The U.S. Supreme Court has banned the death penalty for individuals with intellectual disabilities but has not extended this prohibition to those with severe mental illness. Mullis would become the fourth person executed this year in Texas and the 15th in the U.S. if his execution is carried out. There were five executions scheduled across the U.S. in the same week, prompting concerns about the frequency of executions.
Executions are not a common occurrence, and there is no public pressure for increasing the number of completed death sentences. The Death Penalty Information Center’s executive director highlighted that the number of executions scheduled in a short period is unusual. She stated that there is no evidence that the general public is eager for more executions or frustrated with the current pace of death sentences being carried out.
