Robert Lee Thompson

It's the law. If you are involved in a crime with someone else, and your partner in crime kills somebody... you are just as liable for that murder as the guy who pulled the trigger.

What, you think that's unfair? Well, you're wrong. It's very fair because there this thing called a jury. And if you're so involved in the act that the jury thinks you should get the death penalty, well there you go.

But what if the actual shooter only got life? So what? Maybe the shooter didn't really want to shoot, but only did so because you were using some influence or otherwise encouraging the him to shoot the victim. Again, the jury is there to hear the facts and if they find him guilty, decide if the death penalty is applicable.

In Robert Lee Thompson's case, here are the facts:
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On December 5, 1996, Thompson, armed with a .25 caliber semiautomatic, and Sammy Butler, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, entered a 7-Evenings Food Store in Houston.

Thompson pointed his pistol at store clerk Mubarakali Meredia, who was at the counter, and told him to open the cash register and hand over all of the money. Thompson shot Meredia in the abdomen when he did not move quickly enough. Thompson also shot at Meredia’s cousin, Mansor Bhai Rahim Mohammed, who also worked at the shop, when Rahim began running toward the rear of the store. At Butler’s trial, the State offered evidence that Butler also shot at Rahim, and threatened several other customers.

Thompson then shot Meredia three more times as he lay on the floor. Thompson ordered Meredia to get up and get the money for him. Meredia did so. Then Thompson put his pistol to Meredia’s neck and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened because Thompson had run out of bullets. Thompson hit Meredia on the head with the butt of his gun and struck him with the cash register drawer. Nonetheless, Meredia survived.

Thompson took the money and ran out of the store, while Butler grabbed a stack of lottery tickets and followed behind Thompson. Thompson jumped into the driver’s seat of their car, while Butler got into the passenger’s seat, rolled down his window, and fired two shots at Rahim who had run to the front door. One bullet hit Rahim in the chest, and he died.

Based upon this evidence, the jury convicted applicant of capital murder. During the punishment phase, the jury heard evidence that this robbery-murder was only one part of a robbery-murder spree during which applicant, as the triggerman, had committed two additional capital murders.

Based upon all of the evidence submitted, the jury found that applicant would pose a future risk of danger and that there were no mitigating circumstances that would call for a life sentence. The judge sentenced him to death.
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The dude is bad. It takes a certain kind of someone to shoot people, and he shot people like it was nothing. He's killed people. He only wants off because his accomplice didn't get convicted of capital murder, but then his accomplice wasn't shooting everything that moved either. Thompson was in the lead, he wanted to make a bloody statement, and boy did he. Does he deserve the death penalty. HELL YES!

And then I get an email today:

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles today voted to recommend that the death sentence of Robert Thompson be commuted to life. Thompson's execution is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, November 19. Governor Perry will be deciding tonight or tomorrow morning whether to accept the recommendation and grant clemency to Thompson. Perry could accept or reject the recommendation from the BPP.

Call the Governor and leave a voice message at 512 463 1782 or email him through his website at http://governor.state.tx.us/contact. Urge him to accept the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant Robert Thompson clemency and commute his sentence to life.

Thompson was sentenced to death under the Law of Parties even though he did not kill the victim. Thompson's accomplice fired the bullet that killed the victim. The accomplice received life in prison.

During the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that would have banned executions of people convicted solely under the Law of Parties for people who do not actually kill anyone. The bill died in the Senate, but its passage in the House showed that many legislators want Texas to stop executing people convicted under the Law of Parties.

If Thompson's execution is commuted, then other people sentenced to death under the Law of Parties could also be commuted in the future, including Jeff Wood.

WTF? Umm, no... ah HELL NO! This is SO misleading. It makes it look like Thompson was just standing around, maybe holding the money bag while his accomplice was calling the shots and killed someone. It was THOMPSON who was shooting everyone, he's definitely deserving of the death penalty. No doubt about it. At the time of Thompson's trial, he had three, THREE, capital murder trials pending.

Butler, his accomplice, fired two shots and was unlucky enough to have fired the fatal shot while they were driving off. Guilty? Of course. Enough for the death penalty... well, when you compare Butler with the depravity of Thompson, probably not, so the jury gave him life in prison.

I believe anti-death penalty people would have a stronger leg to stand on if they limited their pleas to cases that don't involve these monsters who have absolutely no regard for any human life, including their own. But, I also believe in forgiveness, and I hope Thompson somehow got to know Jesus and has accepted Him as his saviour before he goes to the death chamber.