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Friday, January 9, 2009

One-Eyed Man Removes, Eats Remaining Eye

Posted by on Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 3:03 PM

Now he has no eyes.

HOUSTON - A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it.

Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant's death.

While in the Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Thomas plucked out his right eye before his trial later in 2004. A judge subsequently ruled he was competent to stand trial.

On Dec. 9, a death-row officer at the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice found Thomas in his cell with blood on his face and took him to the infirmary.

"Thomas said he pulled out his eye and subsequently ingested it," agency spokesman Jason Clark said Friday.

Thomas was treated at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Then he was transferred and remains at the Jester Unit, a prison psychiatric facility near Richmond southwest of Houston.

"He will finally be able to receive the mental health care that we had wanted and begged for from day 1," Bobbie Peterson-Cate, Thomas' trial attorney, told the Sherman Herald Democrat. "He is insane and mentally ill. It is exactly the same reason he pulled out the last one."

Thanks(?) to Slog Tipper Wesley, who added, "Love your posts! Here is more fodder for you!" Apparently I am now the Stranger's Chief Fucked-Up Eyeball Correspondent. Hooray?

 

Comments (35) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
It's Texas. They'll figure out a way to execute him anyway.
Posted by keshmeshi on January 9, 2009 at 3:14 PM
2
suckers; fell for the old 'pluck and eat your last eye to prove insanity' ruse. now all the one eyed death row inmates will be trying it...
Posted by not fooled on January 9, 2009 at 3:14 PM
3
too damn funny. the only thing funnier would be when they strap his blind murdering ass to the gurney and see the quizzical look on his face before he burns in hell.
Posted by wino on January 9, 2009 at 3:15 PM
4
GAHHHHHHH!!!!! WHY WHY WHY did you share this Lindy?! I'm traumatized and have to go home now.
Posted by Mary T on January 9, 2009 at 3:23 PM
5
Ew! Oedipus Rex rides (eats) again!
Posted by Vince on January 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM
6
Lindy, here's another story of detached organs for you, although in this case, it's an anthropomorphized cartoon uterus toy recall:

http://iheartguts.com/recall/index.htm

"In an effort to ensure our plush products exceed federal and international safety standards, we learned the 2008 Plush Uterus has failed a pull test. The ovaries may detach when pulled, becoming a potential small part choking hazard for young children. No one has been harmed…"
Posted by i heart guts on January 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM
7
gross.
Posted by this guy I know in Spokane on January 9, 2009 at 3:30 PM
8
But they never answer the most pressing question:
What happened to his first eye?
Posted by Compy on January 9, 2009 at 3:30 PM
9
Jesus Christ! This is awful. Good god.
Posted by Balt-O-Matt on January 9, 2009 at 3:30 PM
10
@8: Yes they do. HE PULLED THAT ONE OUT TOO.

"While in the Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Thomas plucked out his right eye before his trial later in 2004."
Posted by Lindy West on January 9, 2009 at 3:31 PM
11
What. The. Fuck.
Posted by julie k on January 9, 2009 at 3:38 PM
12
I'm already a little queasy today from being sick, and that didn't help at all.
Posted by Greg on January 9, 2009 at 3:41 PM
13
Yep, he's insane alright. No doubt about it. (But as previously noted, it won't stop Texas from executing him.)
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on January 9, 2009 at 3:43 PM
14
Now THAT's dedication.
Posted by Reverse Polarity on January 9, 2009 at 3:45 PM
15
Now Lindy, I was merely complementing you and thought that the crazyness of this article match the general theme of your posts that I greatly enjoy reading.

This does not make you the Chief Fucked-Up Eyeball Correspondent...just the Chief Fucked-Up Everything Correspondent! :-)
Posted by Wesley on January 9, 2009 at 3:45 PM
16
Best. Performance. Piece. Ever. (Klaus Nomi Bathroom not even close)
Posted by Andy Niable on January 9, 2009 at 3:55 PM
17
This is the sort of thing that used to show up on the "Germany or Florida" game on Loveline when Adam Corolla was still on.

Yeah. That was before The End sucked as much as it does now.

Posted by arts&letters on January 9, 2009 at 4:07 PM
18
The craziest part of this article is that someone this nuts was able to marry and reproduce.
Posted by Smegmalicious on January 9, 2009 at 4:07 PM
19
@1 for the sad sad and very insightful win.
Posted by Will in Seattle on January 9, 2009 at 4:14 PM
20
Did he chew...or just swallow it whole? This would tell me a little more about his whole thought process.
Posted by muggims on January 9, 2009 at 4:15 PM
21
Not to be a complete dick, but are we planning on rehabilitating this guy?

Sometimes (certainly not in its current form; form = death penalty) you gotta put a living thing down. Why is someone like Chuck Manson still alive?
Posted by in my opinion, yes tx sucks on January 9, 2009 at 4:20 PM
22
@ 21,

Rehabilitate? Are you joking? I don't really care for most of Texas, Austin is okay, but I think I'm going to have to go with them on this one; put the rabid dog down. If this guy were a rabid pitbull, nobody would have any problem with euthanasia. But because he is a hairless chimp (Homo sapiens sapiens), "Oh, No! We can't kill him! that would be murder! He just needs love and understanding!"

Piffle.
Posted by Y.F. on January 9, 2009 at 4:45 PM
23
Texas calls their psychiatric ward the "jester" unit.

How considerate of them.
Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 9, 2009 at 4:45 PM
24
@23: It's named after Texas governor Beauford Jester, who reformed the prison system back in the 1940s.

But you knew that, right?
Posted by Rachel on January 9, 2009 at 4:51 PM
25
Gawd, life is one hell of a cosmic joke, ain't it?
Posted by violet_dagrinder on January 9, 2009 at 5:13 PM
26
24
I don't know my Ass from a hole in the ground.
Why do you ask?
Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 9, 2009 at 5:22 PM
27
@25 But is Lindy the Chief Fucked-Up Everything Correspondent? As much as I adore every one of her posts, I tend to think that this is Schmader territory.
Posted by Rose on January 9, 2009 at 5:29 PM
28
Uh, I meant @15.
Posted by Rose on January 9, 2009 at 5:29 PM
29
@27 I thought it was La Schmader, too, but I like it for Lindy. I mean, she went for the bleeding anus earlier.
Posted by itsmarkmitchell on January 9, 2009 at 5:32 PM
30
Why is "pluck" the appropriate verb to describe ripping out an eyeball?
Posted by oljb on January 9, 2009 at 7:43 PM
31
I can tell you judgmental judge-types have never tasted eyeball.
Posted by Superfrankenstein on January 9, 2009 at 7:44 PM
32
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattoly/311…

At first I was afraid it was this guy.
Posted by Matt Fuckin' Hickey on January 9, 2009 at 7:53 PM
33
I shouldn't have read that. I think I might be sick.
Posted by Sara B on January 10, 2009 at 10:10 AM
34
Whoever "Wino" and "Y.F" are, they're in need of humanity transfusions STAT.
Posted by jeffmcm on January 10, 2009 at 1:06 PM
35
Give him a knife. Maybe he'll pluck his own heart out.
Posted by sorry for him on January 10, 2009 at 8:02 PM

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