Atkins vs. Virgina

Atkins vs. Virgina

Atkins vs. Virginia

The court case Atkins vs. Virginia is discussing the issue that mentally retarded people being rewarded the death penalty. The discussion is that, are they capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong? When people have disabilities are morals, decisions, and controls of their impulses clouded? Or could it be that people act as mental retards just to get slack? This court case was a major move in figuring out the decision in these type of cases dealing with mentally retarded people.
Approximately midnight in August 16, 1996, Atkins and William Jones, were armed with semiautomatic handguns, they abducted Eric Nesbitt. They robbed him of all the money on him and took him by an automated teller machine, in his pickup truck, where cameras recorded their withdrawal of additional cash. Proceedings this Atkins and Jones took Nesbitt to an isolated location where they shot him eight times, killing Nesbitt. When both individuals were being questioned they both gave accurate and confirmed things in each other’s story and following the evidence. The only thing that got each other’s story was the fact the both said the other shot and killed Nesbitt. Jones had the upper hand though cause is testimony was more coherent and more credible, than Atkins’ testimony. Jones was obviously credited by the jury and was sufficient against Atkins’ guilt. During the penalty phase of the trial the state prosecutors introduced victim impact evidence, which proved two aggravating circumstances: future dangerous and vileness of the offence. To help prove the states feelings of future dangers, the state relied on Atkins’s prior criminal record, as well testimony’s from prior victims of earlier robberies and assaults. It helped prove he was a second aggravator; the prosecution relied upon pictures and autopsy report and trial record. A key witness that helped the prosecution tremendously was Dr. Evan Nelson. He’s a forensic psychologist; he evaluated Atkins...

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