Lawyers for Cecil Clayton are seeking a jury trial to halt his sentence , which is scheduled for March 17 at 6 pm . In 1972 , 24 years before he shot dead a police officer , he suffered a sawmill accident that caused a shard of wood to go into his head . Police were forced to remove 20 per cent of his frontal lobe . His lawyers argue that he has a low IQ , mental health and is not competent enough to understand his death sentence . But a lawyer from the Department of Mental Health previously concluded that he did understand the situation .
Lawyers for Cecil Clayton are seeking a competency trial to halt his execution , which is scheduled for March 17 at 6pm . In 1972 , 24 years before he shot dead a police officer , he suffered a sawmill accident that caused a shard of wood to go into his head . Doctors were forced to remove 20 per cent of his frontal lobe . His lawyers argue that he has a low IQ , mental illness and is not competent enough to understand his death sentence . But a doctor from Missouri Department of Mental Health previously concluded that he did understand the punishment .