On March 27, 2004, 21 year old Andre Lee Thomas broke into the apartment where his estranged wife, Laura, their son (Andre Jr.), Laura’s new boyfriend, and Laura’s daughter (Leyha) lived. Laura’s boyfriend was not home, but Laura, Andre Jr., and Leyha were. Andre killed all 3 of them and attempted to kill himself by stabbing himself in the chest. After realizing he was not dying, he turned himself in and confessed to his crimes. He was ultimately sentenced to death for capital murder, but what seems like an open and shut case of domestic violence is actually so much more and is still very much unresolved as of 2024.

Trigger Warning: Child death, brief mentions of sexual assault

References / Additional Resources

Alcohol and Drug Foundation. (2023, November 22). Dissociatives. ADF. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/dissociatives/ 

ANDRE LEE THOMAS v. BOBBY LUMPKIN, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS DIVISION (2022). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-444_7k8b.pdf 

Constitutional Rights Foundation. (2021). A jury of your peers. Bill of Rights in Action, 36(4). https://www.crf-usa.org/images/pdf/a-jury-of-your-peers.pdf 

Grissom, B. (2013, February 20). Andre Thomas: Where mental health and criminal justice collide. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/20/andre-thomas-mental-health-and-criminal-justice-co/

Grissom, B. (2013, February 24). Andre Thomas: Gaps in the mental health code. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/24/andre-thomas-gaps-30-year-old-mental-health-code/

Grissom, B. (2013, February 26). Andre Thomas: Questions of competence, justice. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/26/andre-thomas-questions-competency/ 

Noye, U. (2015). A study of the racially disparate use of peremptory challenges by the Cado Parrish District Attorney’s office. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/reprieve_australia/Blackstrikes_Caddo_Parish_August_2015.pdf 

Simpson, S. (2023, March 7). Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas’ execution date was postponed to allow his legal team reasonable time to prove his incompetence. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/07/texas-death-row-andre-thomas/

Timeline of events: https://flatpage-archive.texastribune.org/library/multimedia/timeline-trouble-in-mind/