Death row inmate: No consent given before exam

Thursday, July 7, 2011

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- A man on Oregon's death row has said his attorneys did not obtain his consent before he underwent a psychological examination that ultimately led the state Supreme Court to block his execution.

Inmate Gary Haugen says in letters to the court obtained by the Salem Statesman-Journal that his attorneys didn't advise him of his doctor-patient rights, and illegally made his psychological exam public.

Haugen was scheduled to be executed on Aug. 16. The judge who issued his death warrant invalidated it after the Oregon Supreme Court questioned a competency hearing he held for Haugen.

The letters were sent while Haugen awaits another competency hearing.

The original psychological exam found that he has cognitive problems and delusions.

Haugen, twice convicted of murder, has repeatedly stated his desire to be executed.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com