Not sure about that auto death penalty. if I recall the story I heard in 1978 F. Lee Bailey was at a trial in Houston. I don’t remember the outcome of the case but Bailey was interviewed by the local press. He was asked why in TX a defendant could be hung for stealing a horse but perhaps only get a few years for homicide? Bailey, reportedly, responded, “As explainEd to me that man might have needed killing but that horse didn’t need stealing.“This. If a person commits a violent crime with a gun, no parole. If they murder someone, automatic death penalty.