The following story was cut and pasted from Attorney John T. Floyd's website:
"On the first day of the trial, Judge Gallagher asked [Defendant Terry Lee] Morris to enter a plea, but Morris wanted to make a defense first. Gallagher warned Morris that he would be removed or shocked if he didn’t comply. When Morris continued to ignore the warning, Gallagher ordered the bailiff to shock him. After the first shock, Morris said he had a history of mental disorders when Gallagher asked if he would cooperate with the proceedings. The judge then ordered ta second shock. After the second shock, Morris said he was being tortured. Judge Gallagher responded to this charge by ordering a third shock. At that point, Morris was taken from the courtroom. A conviction and sentence was handed down without his presence. According to the ruling by the Texas Court of Appeals, shocks of 50,000 volts can impair a defendant’s cognitive abilities. The court ruled that Morris was shocked for punishment, not as a method of containment, which was a violation of his rights. The Court had no choice but to overturn the conviction. For anyone who cares about rights and freedoms, this is a great thing. No one should have to be subjected to what is essentially torture – especially when they have not even been proven guilty of the crime they’ve been accused of. What does this mean for Mr. Morris? Well, he’s currently serving time in a Huntsville facility for a 1992 conviction for causing a child to experience bodily injury. On top of that, he will be retried for his 2014 charge." |
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