Texas appeals court overturns sentence for only Frenchman on death row

The only French citizen currently on death row in the United States had his punishment changed to a life sentence after a Texas appeals court ruled in his favor Wednesday.

Joseph Jean was sentenced to death in January 2011 after killing 2 teenagers with a baseball bat in April 2010 in Baytown, outside of Houston, Texas.

But his lawyers have been arguing since 2013 that Jean has an intellectual disability, rendering him ineligible for the death penalty.

The US Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that the death penalty is unconstitutional for such individuals.

In 2021, a judge agreed that Jean had a mental disability, and on Wednesday a Texas appeals court confirmed that finding.

Reached by AFP, his mother said she was "so happy" about the ruling.

"I'll be able to hold him in my arms, I'll be able to touch him," said Lina Jean, hoping to visit him more often now.

As part of his life sentence, Joseph Jean will not be eligible for parole.

Jean, age 50, was born in the US Virgin Islands to 2 French parents.

His mother came to Texas in 1985, with 5 of her 7 sons in tow, to join his father, who had found a job as a welder in a refinery.

Source: Agence France-Presse, Staff, April 20, 2023

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