Attorneys: Man needs mental health treatment, not execution

Man needs mental health treatment, not execution

(AP) — Attorneys for a man nearing his execution date for killing two people during an escape are asking Virginia's governor to spare his life, saying the crimes resulted from a mental illness so severe that he could not distinguish delusions from reality.

Morva had been jailed for about a year awaiting trial on attempted robbery charges when he was taken to a Blacksburg hospital for treatment of an injury in 2006.

Morva's attorneys say his delusional disorder has made him falsely believe, among other things, that he "was called to lead indigenous tribes on an unexplained quest," and that law enforcement conspired with former President George W. Bush's administration to put him behind bars.