Lawyers for an Arkansas man scheduled to be executed next month said Monday that his life should be spared because he suffered sexual abuse while institutionalized as a child and he is mentally ill. In an appeal for clemency to the parole board, Greene's lawyers wrote that his execution would violate the U.S. Constitution, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. Lawyers for the state say Burnett's family deserves justice and that the execution should take place. According to the lawyers, Greene comes from a family with a long history of mental illness. The inmate's lawyers say Greene believed his brother contributed to their mother's death by sending an ambulance away after she overdosed on prescription medication.

Source: ABC News October 02, 2017 19:59 UTC