Texas just executed its 12th prisoner of the year, who doesn't appear to have given it much thought. When asked if he had a final statement, James Lee Clark replied—

Uh, I don't know... Um, I don't know what to say. I don't know.

Then through the window he spotted someone he knew—

Oh, I didn't know anybody was there. Howdy.

Any chance this guy is retarded? Not according to the state of Texas.

Though two experts in the field determined that Clark's IQ was in the 63-68 range, Texas prosecutors went shopping and found a psychologist who concluded that "James Clark did not have mental retardation and was faking it to avoid execution." Who'd have guessed that Clark was so smart?

The latter psychologist did not himself bother to administer an IQ test, but his word was apparently good enough for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tags: * execution Texas capital punishment mental retardation IQ death penalty mentally impaired retarded mental impairment James Lee Jones intelligence Supreme Court