Thomas Creech was sentenced to death by the State of Idaho for a murder that took place in prison
According to court documents Thomas Creech was initially sentenced to death for two murders however capital punishment would be deemed unconstitutional and he would be resentenced to life without parole
Five years later Thomas Creech would murder a fellow inmate and once again be sentenced to death. Thomas Creech has been on death row for forty years
Thomas Creech has bragged he has killed over twenty people
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Thomas Creech is incarcerated at Idaho Maximum Security Institution
Thomas Creech Case
The following facts regarding the particular offense are disclosed by the record. At the time of the offense here in question, Creech was an inmate of the Idaho State Correctional Institution, serving a life sentence for first degree murder. The victim of this offense, Dale Jensen, had been convicted of car theft and was serving a sentence in the same institution. Jensen had some years earlier sustained a gunshot wound to the head which had necessitated the removal of part of his brain and the placement of a plastic plate in his skull. His speech and motor functions were impaired to some extent. At the time of the offense, both Creech and Jensen were housed in the maximum security tier of the institution.
In the maximum security tier, only one inmate at any one time was ordinarily allowed out of his cell. Creech, however, had been made a janitor and thus, while Creech was performing cleaning duties, he might be out of his cell while another inmate was out of his cell for exercise or shower privileges.
Prior to the offense in question, Creech and Jensen had engaged in argument over television and over Jensen’s littering and dirtying the floor, for which Creech, as janitor, was responsible. Apparently the two were not on good terms. Although Creech himself has given more than one version of the murder, it appears that on the day in question, while Jensen was out of his cell, Jensen approached Creech and swung a weapon at him which consisted of a sock containing batteries. Creech took the weapon away from Jensen, who returned to his cell but emerged with a toothbrush to which had been taped a razor blade. When the two men again met, Jensen made some movement toward Creech, who then struck Jensen between the eyes with the battery laden sock, knocking Jensen to the floor. The fight continued, according to Creech’s version, with Jensen swinging the razor blade at Creech and Creech hitting Jensen with the battery filled sock. The plate imbedded in Jensen’s skull shattered, and blood from Jensen’s skull sha splashed on the floor and walls. Finally, the sock broke and the batteries fell out, and by that time Jensen was helpless. Creech then commenced kicking Jensen about the throat and head. Sometime later a guard noticed blood, and Jensen was taken to the hospital, where he died the same day. There is some evidence in the record indicating that Creech had been enticed by other inmates to “do Jensen in,” but the district judge did not decide or find that the murder had been performed on contract or by plan.
Creech was charged with first degree murder and initially pleaded not guilty. However, later and apparently in response to a letter from Creech, he and his counsel were brought into court to entertain Creech’s request to change his plea to guilty. Over the objections of defense counsel, that guilty plea was accepted and the court set a date for a sentencing hearing. Prior to that sentencing hearing, defendant’s counsel demanded a jury trial on the issue of aggravating and mitigating factors and also demanded sentencing by a jury. Defense counsel further demanded a sentencing hearing formal in nature and based solely on the testimony of live witnesses, and he objected to any consideration of hearsay evidence to be used in the formulation of findings on aggravation and mitigation. All of those demands were denied.
At the sentencing hearing, testimony was offered by both the State and the defense, relating to the mental condition of Creech. A psychiatrist, testifying on behalf of the State, offered as his professional opinion that Creech did not suffer from any organic brain syndrome, did not generally depart from reality in his day to day life, and was able to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct and conform his acts to the requirements of the law. A psychologist, testifying for the defense, offered as his opinion that Creech, during the fight with Jensen, lost his capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct and to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law. The psychologist further testified that, in his opinion, Creech suffered from antisocial personality disorder, from a learning deficit, from schizotypal personality disorder, and from a borderline personality disorder. The district court, although not expressly ruling on the sanity of Creech, did find that the defendant was of adequate intelligence and capable of being trained and educated, and further found that the murder was an intentional and calculated act.
https://casetext.com/case/state-v-creech-11
