Oklahoma's next lethal injection delayed for 100 days for competency hearing
OKLAHOMA CITY — The lethal injection of an Oklahoma man scheduled to be executed next month has been suspended for 100 days so a hearing can be held to determine whether he is mentally competent enough to be executed.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Dec. 22 issued a stay of execution for James Ryder, 61. Ryder was scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Feb. 1 for his role in the 1999 slayings of a mother and son in Pittsburg County after a property dispute.
“After reviewing the evidence, we believe that the case should be remanded to the Pittsburg County District Court for a hearing to determine whether Ryder has 'raised a substantial doubt as to his competency to be executed,'” the appeals court wrote in his command.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court's decision.
Ryder's lawyers have argued for years that he is incompetent and that his mental illness has worsened since he has been on death row. Several psychologists have diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and concluded that he is not competent.
Under Oklahoma law, a prisoner is mentally incompetent to be executed if he cannot gain a rational understanding of why he is being executed or that his execution is imminent.
A neuropsychologist hired by his defense team who evaluated Ryder in 2022 determined that he showed signs of serious mental illness, with an emaciated and disheveled appearance, cognitive problems and delusions.
“In terms known to the law, Mr. Ryder is insane,” wrote Dr. Barry Crown. “His mental strength has been completely erased. He has no way of understanding or processing why he needs to be executed and that the execution is imminent.”
Ryder's attorneys in the federal public defender's office in Oklahoma City did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the case. A clemency hearing scheduled for Jan. 10 has been rescheduled, according to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.
Pittsburg County District Court Judge Michael Hogan will now hold a hearing to determine whether Ryder's attorneys have raised substantial doubt about his competency to be executed. If he is found to be mentally incompetent, state law directs the Department of Corrections and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to determine the best place for him to be held in secure confinement until his competency is restored.
Ryder was sentenced to death for the 1999 assault of Daisy Hallum, 70, and to life in prison without parole for the shotgun murder of her son, Sam Hallum, 38. Court records show Ryder spent several months at Hallum's Pittsburg County estate lived. 1998 and took care of their home and horses while they were out of town. After he moved, he had a fight with the family over some of his belongings.