By Dan Tilkin
KATU
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon could soon hold its first execution in 14 years if a death row inmate gets his wish to die.
Gary Haugen, 49, spelled out his wishes to drop his appeals in handwritten letters to the state court administrator in the Supreme Court.
Haugen killed a Portland woman 30 years ago before the death penalty was brought back in Oregon. He’s on death row for killing another inmate in 2003.
“Being of sound mind and body (I) am dropping all appeals and it is my will to proceed with the death warrent (sic) hearing,” he wrote in the letter.
He wrote his reasoning for the request was because of “the lack of any faith in the Oregon judicial system, my disgust, disdain, the arbitrary and vindictive actions of this system, I refuse to barter, I don’t negotiate. This is for my peace of mind … at least respect my will and initiate the process for execution A.S.A.P!”
This Friday, Haugen will ask a Marion County judge to sign his death warrant. If that happens, he could die by lethal injection in about three months from now.
Haugen’s lawyer, Andy Simrin, wouldn’t talk specifically about whether he will go against his client’s wishes and file an appeal.
“A defendant has a constitutional right to be represented by counsel, but he also has the right to waive his right to counsel if he can competently do that,” Simrin said. “I’m not speculating whether that’ll happen one way or the other.”
Lewis & Clark Law School professor, Doug Beloof, said the biggest hurdle for Haugen to have his wish granted will probably be the legal system and whether he’s mentally competent to make such a decision.
“Certainly, there’s nothing irrational about making a decision to end your life when you’re going to spend the rest of your life on death row,” he said.
He said he thinks it’ll be difficult for anyone to prove Haugen’s incompetent, but he said his lawyers will probably still file the appeal.
“In most cases where this has come up, the lawyers have done so,” Beloof said.
The district attorney is asking the judge to set July 28 as the date for the execution. The Department of Corrections said in anticipation of the execution, it already has the three drugs used to administer the lethal injection.
The last two men to be executed in Oregon, in 1996 and 1997, were Douglas Wright and Harry Moore. They also waived their appeals and asked to die.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it hasn’t had a chance to discuss the case yet to determine whether it will fight Haugen’s execution.
Besides Haugen, 34 men and one woman sit on the state’s death row. Three people were sent there this year: Bruce and Joshua Turnidge, who were responsible for the deadly Woodburn bank bombing and Angela McAnulty, who tortured, beat and starved her 15-year-old daughter to death in 2009.
Republished with permission from KATU