Judge rules Karl Myers' competency will be decided by a jury

A jury will decide whether a convicted killer is competent to be executed. That's the ruling from a Rogers County District judge. <br><br>55-year-old Karl Myers was sentenced to die for the 1993

Tuesday, October 28th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A jury will decide whether a convicted killer is competent to be executed. That's the ruling from a Rogers County District judge.

55-year-old Karl Myers was sentenced to die for the 1993 rape and shooting death of Shawn Marie Williams of Catoosa and the 1996 death of Cindy Marzano of Broken Arrow.

Myers claims he's mentally retarded and if he's able to prove it, he might be able to avoid the death penalty. The US Supreme Court ruled last year it is unconstitutional to execute the mentally retarded.

The threshold of competency is an IQ of 70, Myers' is 77. An Oklahoma City psychologist has testified Myers is mildly retarded.