Sunday February 28, 1988 One dollar Austin American-Statesman IQ often earns more than a fleeting hearing in court. At left is Johnny Paul Retarded Death Row inmate Penry's story. State the mean IQ inside. Take Penry's IQ score as the average of his hopes for mercy from courts quoted IQ range. What is it? Obtain the IQ spread as quoted inside this By Denise Gamino diagram. How many standard deviations below American-Statesman Staff For much of his 31 years, Johnny the mean is Penry? What is his IQ percentile? Paul Penry has been kept under lock and key, padlocked away from State the IQ threshold for mental retardation. society. As a child, his mentally dis- What percentage functions at this or lower? turbed mother caged him in a locked room with boarded up win- dows and no toilet. In his youth, he > Including Penry, how does this compare with was committed to several Texas in- stitutions for the mentally dis- the percent of Death Row inmates whose abled. Later, he served prison time for rape. attorneys describe as "possibly retarded"? Now Penry is held in the tightest lockup of all. What does this indicate? He is on Death Row in the Texas penitentiary, convicted of raping and killing Pamela Moseley Car- penter, 22, who was making Hal- About 68% of people loween decorations when Penry Staff photo by Mike Boroff fall in this range within forced his way into her East Texas Condemned murderer Johnny Paul Penry, who has the intellect of a 15 points of 100 home in 1979. Carpenter was the 7-year-old: "Sometimes I wonder if I deserve to be alive or be killed.' sister of former Washington Red- About 95% of people skins place kicker Mark Moseley. wonder if I deserve to be alive or be tarded. Penry, who has the intellect fall in this range within Number of scores But Penry wants his freedom, killed. I would figure the answer of a 7-year-old, wants to change 30 points of 100 -68% and he is using the fact that he is would be to live," said Penry, that. whose I.Q. scores are between 50 mentally retarded to try to win it. He is the only Death Row inmate Less than 2% Less than 2% He hopes to trade all those years of and 63. The average I.Q. is 100, and classified as retarded by the Texas of people fall in of people fall in being locked up for a ticket to the experts generally consider anyone Department of Corrections, but at- this range this range free world. with an 1.Q. of 70 or below as torneys for six other condemned -95% "I never had a chance to live a retarded. killers say their clients possibly are 2% 13.5% 34% 34% 13.5% 2% life I wanted to live. Sometimes I Texas law allows the execution retarded. There are 267 inmates on 55 70 85 of murderers who are mentally re- Death Row in Texas. 100 115 130 145 Wechsler intelligence score