Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5, the court has determined that thi s opinion should not * be publishe d and is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNITED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHEFIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 07- 70011

DA NI EL L E S I M P S ON P eti ti on er - A p p ell a n t v. NAT HANI ELQUA RT ER M AN, DI RE CT OR , T EXAS DE P AR T M ENT OF CR I M I NALJ US T I CE , C OR RE CT I ONA L I NS T I T UT I ONS DIVI S I ON R espon den t- A pp el l ee

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or th e E aster n D i st ri ctof T exas U SD C N o. 1: 04- C V

- 485

B e fo r e J O L LY , D E N N IS , a n dC L E M E N T , C ir c u it J u d g e s . P E R C U R IA M: * D a n i ell e S i m p son w a s co n v ic te d b y a T ex a s j u ryan dsen ten cedto de a th for the c ap i t alm ur de ro f G e r al di ne D av i ds o n i n 2 00 0. H i s c o nvic t i o n a nd sentence w ere af

f i rm ed on di rectapp eal , an d the S u prem e C ou rtde n i ed
c e r tio r a r i. S imp so n v . S ta te , 1 1 9 S .W .3 d2 6 2 (T e x . C r im . A p p . 2 0 0 3 ), ce rt. d enie d , 542 U
. S

. 905 ( 200 4)

. A f t er exha u st i n g h i s s t ate hab eas rem edi es, S i m pson sou gh tfederalh abea s rel i ef

. T h e d i st ri ctcou rtgran t ed a cert i f i cat e of United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Aug ust12, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 07- 70011

2 appeal abil i t y f

orSi m pso n’ s c l ai m t hatt he di st r i c tc our ter r ed bydenyi ng hi m an e v id e n tia r yh e a r in go n h is cla im t h a t h e is m e n ta lly r e ta r d e da n dth u s in e lig ib le f or executi on un der A tk in s v . V irg in ia , 5 36 U
. S

. 3 04 ( 200 2)

. S i m pson requested f rom t h i s c ou rtan expa n si on of t h e C O Af

or th ree add i t i on alcl ai m s. O n A ugust29, 2008, w e r em anded th e ca se t o the di st r i c tc our tf oran evi den t i ary h eari n g on S im p son’ s At ki nsc l ai m , a nd h e l d i n a be ya nc e o ur c o ns i de r at i o n o f

Si m ps o n’ s r e que s tf

o ra n e xp ans i o n o f t he CO A. On r e m and , t he di st ri ctcourtcondu ct ed an evi den t i ary h eari n g an d f ou n d that S i m pson i s not
m ent al l y r et ar ded. Th e c as e w as r e- subm i t t ed t o thi s c our ton Febr uary 3, 2009. O n M a r c h 9 , 2 0 0 9 , S im p s o n file dam o tio n to re m a n dfo rah e a r in g , in
ac c o r da nc e w i t h Mata v. Joh n son , 2 10 F
. 3d3 24 ( 5th C i r. 200 0) , on h i s r equ est t o w a iv e h a b e a s r e v ie w a n dp r o c e e dw it h e x e c u t io n . I n th e m o t io n , S im p s o n ’s court- ap poi n t ed coun selst ated t h at w h i l e Sim pson ’ s i n t el l ect u alcapab i l i t i es are l i m i t e d, he und e r s t and s tha tif he w aive s hi s a ppe alhe w i l ls o o n b e e xe c ut e d. C ou n sel ex p ress ed a b eli ef th a t S i m p son i s com p eten t, a l th ou gh m e n ta lly ret arded

. C o u n se l sta te dth a t, g ive n th a t S im p so n h a s s p e n t eig h t y e a rs conf i n ed i n a sm al l cell , h i s requ est t o be executed i s not u n reasona bl e. I n a ha n dw rit t en statem en t attach edto t h e m oti on , S i m p son e xp l a i n edh i s rea son s for w a n ti n g to d r o p h is a p p e a l:

I’ m tir e d o f b ein g ina ins titu ti on tha t’ s u nj u st, de gr ad i ng, a nd c o r r upt e d – w he r e as on t he othe rha nd, I ’m ti r e do f s t r u g g li n gto s u rv iv e i n a s y s t e m th a t ’s h i gh l y i nj u st i ces. “ I’ m ready to di e” ! ! I f Ican’ tbe f

ree

–“K ill M e ”.!! O n A pri l10, 200 9, w e gran t ed S i m pson ’ s m ot i on a n d rem an dedt h e case t o t he di s t r i c tc o ur tf

o rt he l i m i t e d pur po s e of co nduc t i ng an e vi de nt i ary he ar i ng i n a c c o r da nc e w i t h Ma ta , todet er m i ne w het herS i m pso n i s c om pet entt o w aive fe de r al hab e as r e vi e w and w he t he r hi s de c i s i o n t o do s o i s kno w i n g and
v o lu n ta r y .N o. 07- 70011

3 O n re m and, t he di st r i c tc our tor dere d an ev al uat i on o f Si m pso n by an expe r tm ut ual l y agreed o n by co unsel , and c onduct ed an e vi dent i ar y hear i ng. Af t e rc o ns i de r i ng Si m ps o n’ s t e s t i m o ny att he hea r i ng, as w e l la s t he r e po r ta nd t e s t i m o ny o f

t he e xp e r t , t he di s t r i c tc o ur tf o und: [T ] h ere i s no evi den ce t h at [ S i m pson ] i s s u f feri n g f rom a m e nt aldi s e as e , di s o r de r , o r de fe c t
. [ Si m ps o n] ha s t he c ap ac i t y t o a ppr e c i at e , a nd i n fac tdo e s a ppr e c i at e a nd unde r s t and , hi s c ur r e ntl e ga lpo s i t i o n a nd the o pt i o ns ava i l able t o hi m . H e i s ab le to m ak e a rat i on alchoi ce a m o n gth e s e o p tio n s . T h e co u r tfin d s th a t D a n ie lle Si m pso n i s m ent al l y c om pet ent t o w aive f urt herhabeas r e v ie w a n dth a t h is d e s ir e to fo r e g o fu r th e rlitig a tio n is know i ng and voluntary. O n Ju l y 6, Sim pson ’ s c ou n self i l ed w i t h t h i s c ou rta noti ce th at Si m pson i nt e nde d t o c o nt i nue w i t h hi s a ppe al

. Cou ns e lm o ve d t o w i t hdr aw, a nd f o rt he
a p p oin tm en t of

n ew cou n sel to rep rese n t Sim p son . W e req u ested tha t th e S tate
r e s p o n dt o t h e mo t i o n t o wit h d r a w. O n Ju l y 9 , pr i or to re ceipt of t h e S tate’ s resp on se to th e m oti on to
w i t hdraw , Si m pso n’ s c ounse lc ont ac t ed the C l er k’ s O f f i c e a n d a d vised that
coun selha d receiveda l et t er f rom Sim pson sayi n g t h at he w as con f u sed w h en h e sa i dtha t he w a n tedto con ti n u e h i s ap p ea lan dtha t, i n fa ct, h e w a n tedto dr o p a l lc hall e nge s t o hi s e xe c ut i o n. O n Ju l y 22, Sim pson f i l ed a su pp l em en t al requ est t o w aive h abea s r evi ew an d p roceed w i t h executi on . H e requested l eave to w i t h draw hi s noti ce of in te n tio n to co n tin u e a p p e a l, a n dh is co u n s e l re q u e s te dle a v e to w ith d r a w th e ir
m ot i on t o w i t hdraw as c ounse l

. Si m pso n’ s c ounse l st at es t hat he be l i eve s t hat Si m ps o n’ s de s i r e t o w aivehi s a ppe ali s s i nc e r e a nd c ar e f ul l y c o nsi dered, a nd t h at hi s earl i er n ot i ce of intenti on to con t i n u e w i t h the ap pea lw as the resul tof
m is u n d e r s ta n d in g s a n dm is c o m m u n ic a tio n . A tt a c h e dto th e J u ly 2 2 r e q u e s t isN o. 07- 70011

4 a st atem en tby S i m pson , i n w h i ch h e st ates, i n hi s ow n h an dw rit i n g, h i s desire t o p r o c e e dwit h e x e c u t i o n a n df o r e g o h a b e a s r e v i e w: I ’m ti r e do f b e in gim p r is o n e din as y s t e m th a t ’s dev a lu a te d, an d st rugg l i n g t o survive u n der t h e cr u el an d u n u sua lpu n i shm en t s of an unj u sti n st i t u t i on b e t t e rk n o w [sic ] a s Te xa s de ath r o w he r e o n t he P o l u n s k yu n i ti n L iv i n g s t o n T e x a s . I wa n tt o d r o p my ap pea l s because, Idon ’ tha ve “ n o” fam i l y sup port, care, n or c om m u n i cat i on s c om i n g f rom m y m ot h er orsi st ers, et c. . . . an d p rovi di n g t h a t a llm y sup port com es f rom ove r se as f

r i ends, I gr eat l y appr ec i at e the unco ndi t i onal l ove an d s u pp ort t h ey’ve provi ded t o m e over t h e years. M e a nwhil e , b e i ngl o c ke du p i n a [sic ] i sol ated soli t ary cellof conf i n em en t23/ an d 24 hou rs per da y i sn’ tj u st i ce n or is it con sider edl ivin g –its cru e l a n du nj u st, t h eref ore I’ m real l y l ooking f orw ard t o m yexecuti on b e c a u s e its ju s t “ m e a g a in s t t h e w o r ld”. . .

. T h e di st ri ctcourt , ha vi n g cond u ct ed a heari n g an d consi dered the opini on of an ex per t , has f

ound t hatSi m pso n i s com p eten tt o w aive f urt herhabeas revi ew an d that hi s deci si on t o do s o i s kn ow i n g an d vol u n t ary. B ased on t h ose f i n d i n g s , a s we l la s c o u n s e l ’ s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s a n dS i mp s o n ’ s o wns t a t e me n t , we c o n c lu d e th a t S im p s o n , b e in gco m p e te n t to d o s o , h a s k n o w in g lya n dv o lu n ta r ily
w a iv e dfu r th e rh a b e a s re v ie w . A c c o r d i n g ly , S im p s o n ’ s m o tio n to d is m is s h is
a p p e a l is GRANT ED
.