Dr. James Grigson, the Texas forensic psychiatrist whose testimony for the state helped send scores of defendants to the death house during the past 40 years is retiring:

Dr. Grigson, 71, has been known throughout the jurisprudence system as "Dr. Death" because of his tenacious and authoritative belief that seldom can murderers be rehabilitated. In more than 100 of the 167 capital cases in which he was involved, he testified strongly that a defendant would kill again if given the opportunity — a continuing threat to society, in other words. Jurors routinely admitted his testimony was the motivating factor for them to assess death instead of a lesser term.

Capital defenders have good reason to herald his departure:

Rick Halperin, president of the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, isn't one of Dr. Grigson's admirers. "Just take the case of Randall Dales Adams, innocent and free today and getting on with his life," Mr. Halperin said. Mr. Adams was convicted of murder and sent to death row in 1977, but was released in 1989 when new evidence exonerated him. He later was portrayed in a movie, "The Thin Blue Line." "He wasn't guilty then and hasn't been in trouble since," said Mr. Halperin, "and yet 12 people took the word of Dr. Grigson, who said he was psychopathic and a degenerate."