Patrick Murphy, one of a group of seven escaped prisoners known as the ‘Texas Seven,’ is to be executed in Texas for the muder of a police officer (TDCJ)

Washington (AFP) – One of the last members of the “Texas Seven,” a group of escaped prisoners who killed a police officer during a high-profile crime spree in 2000, is due to be executed Thursday night by lethal injection. 

Patrick Murphy, 57, however, is asking for the right to be accompanied by a Buddhist monk in the death chamber and has filed a last-minute appeal to postpone his execution. 

Sentenced to 50 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault, Murphy participated in an escape in December 2000 with six other detainees from a maximum security prison in south Texas. 

The seven men knocked out guards to steal their uniforms and forced another to open the door. The father of one of them was waiting outside with a vehicle. 

The men committed multiple robberies during their time on the run.

On Christmas Eve, they robbed a sporting goods store in the suburbs of Dallas and were confronted by police officer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins died after being shot 11 times. 

Authorities launched a manhunt with a reward of $500,000. 

After the broadcast of an episode of the television show “America’s Most Wanted,” several tips came in about sightings of the fugitives. 

Six weeks after their escape, they were apprehended in Colorado. One of the seven committed suicide when they were arrested. 

Murphy was the driver of the getaway car but a Texas court ruled that the survivors were all responsible for the murder of the police officer and sentenced them to death. 

– Religious freedom argument –

Four of them have already been executed while Murphy and another member of the “Texas Seven” have been on death row awaiting execution.

If Murphy’s execution takes place as planned, he will be the fourth inmate put to death since the beginning of the year in the United States and the third in Texas. 

But his lawyers say that Murphy converted to Buddhism about 10 years ago and are asking, in the name of religious freedom, for the presence in the death chamber of Murphy’s spiritual advisor. 

The condemned convict is convinced that his advisor’s presence is necessary “to be reborn in the Pure Land,” the lawyers wrote in their appeal. 

“He can only achieve this outcome if he is able to focus on the Buddha,” they said. “The presence of his spiritual advisor, who has visited him in this capacity for the past six years, would permit him to maintain the required focus.”

The Huntsville Penitentiary, which has only a Christian chaplain, has refused the request. 

Last month, the Supreme Court refused to delay the execution of a Muslim death row inmate who sought the presence of an imam when he was executed in an Alabama penitentiary. 

Disclaimer: This story is published from a syndicated feed. Siliconeer does not assume any liability for the above story. Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Content copyright AFP.