What did Tracy Beatty do? Texas set to execute inmate charged over mother’s death 20 years ago

Tracy Beatty, a Texas inmate, is slated to be executed for killing his mother nearly twenty years ago.

On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, Tracy Beatty, 61, who has been waiting on death row for 18 years, will reportedly be executed with lethal injection for killing his mother and burying her body in the backyard of her mobile home in Texas.

In 2003, Beatty, described as mentally ill by his lawyers, reportedly strangled his mother, Carolyn Click, following an argument inside her Texas home. He then buried her in the backyard and, proceeded to spend her money on drugs and alcohol.

Beatty's attorneys had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, citing a pending evaluation of a history of mental illness. However, their requests were denied by the courts. It should be noted that the inmate had had three prior execution dates.

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Tracy Beatty had a volatile relationship with his mother

According to multiple reports, Tracy Beatty, who reportedly had a contentious relationship with his mother, strangled and buried her in her backyard before spending all her money on drugs and alcohol.

However, Beatty's lawyers tried to pause the execution, stating that the inmate was being prevented from a mental examination without any restraints to determine if he was intellectually disabled.

Beatty’s lawyers argued that the inmate’s limited intellectual ability might have prompted the attack on the mother. As per the Supreme Court, prisoners with intellectual disabilities cannot be executed.

The lawyers had asked the court to allow Beatty to be unrestrained during mental health evaluations as it allegedly helps to assess a person's intellectual prowess. However, the courts denied the motion, citing security concerns.

While the inmate’s lawyers have repeatedly argued on behalf of their client's mental illness, prosecutors maintain that Beatty deliberately killed his mother as they were known to often get into heated arguments where the inmate would get extremely violent.

Prosecutors witness Lieanna Wilkerson, neighbor to the victim, testified to this effect, saying:

"Several times he had said he just wanted to shut her up, that he just wanted to choke her and shut her up."

According to Wilkerson, the victim had reportedly told her that Beatty once violently beat her up following an argument. Beatty was also asked to move out several times before he strangled his mother, which often led to an argument.

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Tracy Beatty says he has made peace with the court's decision to execute him

While the lawyers tried to stay the execution order, Beatty appeared to have made peace with the court's decision. In an October 12 interview with CBS19 he said:

“I'm not worried about it. And I've already made my peace with the Man. So I know where I'm going. I’ll be in a lot better place than this. ... I've got an advantage over most people in the world."

He added:

"I mean, you don't know when you're going to die. I know when I'm going to die. Now, I've known that I was going to die since I've been here.”

While the Supreme Court has prohibited the death penalty for the intellectually disabled, the same rules do not apply to individuals with serious mental illness.