State
Killer who called Texas senator renews death wish
Posted: Oct 13, 2012 9:00 AM
Updated: Oct 13, 2012 9:01 AM
HOUSTON (AP) The Texas prisoner who threatened a senator from death row using a smuggled cell phone is renewing his push to drop his appeals and be executed.
Richard Tabler says in a letter to The Associated Press he's upset that his efforts to die have been blocked in the courts. The convicted killer is also unhappy with 24-hour video monitoring and a ban on nearly all his visitors.
Tabler's cell phone calls in 2008 prompted an unprecedented lockdown of the Texas prison system and a contraband sweep. Tabler calls his phone use "idiotic" and blames it for the court's refusal to comply with his request for a speedy execution. He says "it's no longer about justice."
But even Tabler's lawyers have refused to support his request and have challenged his competency.
