Rock Hill killer wants judge to get him meds that might alter his request to die
South Carolina death row inmate James Robertson is trying to bargain with a federal judge to get medications. If he gets them, Robertson told the judge, it might change his decision to drop his appeals and be executed for killing his parents in Rock Hill 29 years ago.
In a letter from Broad River prison to U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker, Robertson seeks two prescription drugs he said he took in the past but claimed the South Carolina prison system does not include anymore for inmates. Robertson says in the letter that if the judge can sway the prison system to get him the medicine, she may not have to rule on his pending request to fire his lawyers and face a firing squad, the electric chair, or the gas chamber.
There was a hearing in front of Baker in Charleston federal court on May 11 after Robertson’s mental competency was reviewed by a psychiatrist over the past few months, but the courtroom was closed to the public by Baker’s court order. Because the hearing was closed by the judge, and court filings about the hearing are sealed, it remains unclear what was said by Robertson, his lawyers, prosecutors, and others who testified on May 11.
Yet Robertson told the judge in the letter that after the May 11 hearing, he spent days talking to his lawyers, the psychiatrist and “reflecting” on testimony from the hearing.
The letter says:
“Dear Judge Baker, Hello. I hope this finds you and your family well. While the hearing was somewhat stressful and at times emotional, I wanted to thank you for treating me with respect and allowing me to share my position on this matter. I am writing today to ask for your help in obtaining one or both of the medications (Neurontin, Seroquel IR) prescribed for me in the past but removed from SCDC’s formulary. After the conclusion of the hearing on May 11, I spent the next several days debriefing with both appointed and independent counsel, talking to Dr. Ellis (psychiatrist) and reflecting on my and the experts’ testimony. If one or both of the medications in question were made available, it may not be necessary for you to rule on the Motion to Proceed Pro Se before you now. Although not guaranteed, I think the best chance of changing SCDC’s mind lies with asking you to get involved. Thank you for your time and help with this matter. James. D. Robertson.”
Neurontin is a drug that affects chemicals and nerves in the body, according to drugs.com. Seroquel IR is an antipsychotic, according to clevelandclinic.org.
As of Thursday, Baker had not responded to Robertson or filed any court documents about the letter.
It remains unclear if she will involve herself in the matter of what drugs the S.C. Department of Corrections allows to be administered to death row inmates.
The Herald reached out by email to state prosecutors and lawyers for Robertson for comment on the letter. A spokesman for the S.C. Attorney General’s Office said in an email the office could not comment on the letter or what it could mean for the case. So far, none of Robertson’s lawyers have responded to The Herald.
Who is infamous killer James “Jimmy” Robertson?
Robertson, now 52, has been on death row since 1999. The death of his parents, and his arrest and trial, is one of Rock Hill’s most well-known crimes.
Around Thanksgiving 1997, prosecutors say Robertson beat Earl and Terry Robertson to death with a baseball bat and a claw hammer to try and get their money, then staged their home to make it look like a break-in.
Robertson was caught shortly afterward in Pennsylvania after he drove to where his brother was attending college. Police found the weapons and evidence of the crimes along the route from Rock Hill to Philadelphia.
Earl Robertson was a Springs textile company executive at the time he was killed, and the family had insurance and an estate worth over $2 million.
Court TV broadcast the 1999 trial, in which a York County jury first found Robertson guilty, then sentenced him to death.
Robertson is the last York County killer to be sentenced to die.
His state appeals, which went on for more than two decades, ended last year when Robertson wrote another letter to a different judge saying he wanted to fire his lawyers and be executed. That came after South Carolina executed six people after not having executions for many years, including Robertson’s best friend on death row.
His lawyers filed documents saying they wanted him tested for mental competency to make sure Robertson could make that decision himself.
Prosecutors with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office have previously filed documents saying that Robertson’s competency has never been an issue and he can make up his own mind about being executed.
The ongoing federal case started in 2011 when Robertson claimed he was being illegally held in prison, and a different federal judge issued a stay of execution as the state appeals churned through the courts.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rock Hill killer wants judge to get him meds that might alter his request to die."
