The eyes he ripped out: André Thomas and the death penalty

The eyes he ripped out: André Thomas and the death penalty: The triple homicide in Sherman, Texas A man sentenced to death in Texas ripped out both of his eyes with his own hands while in prison. He ate the second eye. Is André Thomas a brutal killer who deserves the death penalty, or a severely mentally ill person whom the system has systematically failed since childhood? In this episode, we explore how documented hospital failures 48 hours before the crime, a jury selected through racial maneuvering, and contradictory diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychosis led to a conviction that remains an uncomfortable controversy in American justice. How do you execute someone who removes their own organs citing the Bible? Victim: Laura Marie Boren, André Lee Thomas Jr., Leya Marie Hughes Date: March 27, 2004 Location: Sherman, Texas Status: Death penalty pending - André visited a mental health clinic on March 5 with documented suicidal threats, but he was not hospitalized - An emergency detention order was issued on March 25 after self-harm, but the police never executed it - Jury composed exclusively of white individuals after systematic elimination of African Americans - André ripped out his right eye days after the arrest citing Matthew 5:29; he ate the second eye in 2008 André Lee Thomas, Sherman Texas 2004, triple homicide, schizophrenia, forensic, investigation, criminal minds, racial justice, mystery, true crime, true crime SpanishTo listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie