An insane Tennessee death row convict used a hidden razor to sever his penis after cutting his wrists and requesting suicide watch, according to his lawyer.
Henry Eugene Hodges, who is on death row for the murder of a telephone repairman in 1990, had a bloody meltdown over a food package earlier this month.
According to his lawyer, Kelley Henry, prison staff refused him the special package because he was one month short of the minimum six months of good behavior.
To stop him from smearing feces around his cell, a correction officer decided to stop feeding him — leading Hodges to slit his wrists with the hidden razor at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, she said.
Hodges then asked to be put on suicide watch at the infirmary, the lawyer said.
However, a “high-ranking” officer informed the person caring for Hodges that he was manipulating them and should be placed on suicide watch when he returned to his cell, where he later cut off his penis, according to Henry.
Hodges was returned to the slammer after his penis was reattached at a hospital, where he was restrained and confined to a thin mattress on a concrete block, she said. Despite being placed in four-point restraints at first, he was able to remove a hand and rip out his catheter, according to Henry.
He finally agreed to take medication and was returned to the four-point restraints, but hasn’t been allowed to walk or leave the bed, Henry added.
Hodges been diagnosed with bipolar disorder mixed type, with psychotic episodes, Henry said.
“He needs competent mental health care. Surely the prison can find a place to put him where he is not a danger to himself or others and does not have to be tied down like an animal,” she told the news service.
Hodges also has been on a hunger strike, she said.
Henry said she was told she needs to speak to general counsel Debbie Inglis, who’s been out on leave.
There was no immediate comment to the AP from a rep for the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Hodges was sentenced to death in 1992 for the murder of phone repairman Ronald Bassett in May 1990.
He was convicted of a separate murder in Fulton County, Georgia, for killing a North Carolina chemical engineer in an Atlanta hotel.
source:nsemwokrom.com
