Carlos Granados

Carlos Alberto Granados, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 10 January 2007 in Huntsville, Texas for stabbing his girlfriend's 3-year-old son to death.

On 13 September 1998, Granados, then 27, had an argument with his girlfriend, Katherine Jiminez, in her Georgetown apartment, where he had also been living for a few weeks. On that afternoon, both Granados and Jiminez were scheduled to work. Jiminez had arranged to drop off her son, Anthony, at her mother's house, and to pick him up the following morning.

According to Jiminez's testimony, the argument began when Granados asked her to take a nap with him before they left for work. Granados became angry when Jiminez told him she didn't want to take a nap at that time. He knocked a plate of food from her hand, then they began arguing in the bedroom. Jiminez then told Granados to take his belongings and leave the apartment.

A brief cooling off period ensued, and the couple began talking again. Jiminez's sister, Elizabeth, called, but Granados answered the phone, told her Katharine was busy, and hung up the telephone. Jiminez again told Granados to gather his belongings and leave. Jiminez testified that Granados then left the room, then came back and asked, "You want me to leave?" When she answered that she did, he cursed and attacked her with a long kitchen knife, stabbing her repeatedly and slashing her throat. After a while, Granados began crying, afraid that he would go to jail. Jiminez told him she loved him and would lie about her injuries if he would leave.

Jiminez then tried to telephone the police and escape, but Granados caught her and dragged her to the kitchen. He stabbed her some more, and she feigned death. Granados then left the kitchen. Jiminez heard her 3-year-old son, Anthony, who was watching television in the living room, scream, "I don't want to die! Don't kill me! I don't want to die!" Granados then stabbed Anthony to death.

Jiminez testified that she later heard her sister outside the apartment, but was afraid to scream for help. Later, Granados came to the kitchen and showed her that he had slashed his wrists, saying, "Look, I'm going to die with you." Later, Granados telephoned his father. Several hours later, believing her death was imminent, Katharine dragged herself toward her son's body so that she could die by his side.

The following morning, family members, concerned that Jiminez had not reported to work or dropped Anthony off at her mother's as planned, called Georgetown police. Corporal Gregory Brunson and another officer arrived, knocked on the door, and called the telephone, but received no answer. The apartment manager was unable to open the door because of an interior deadbolt, so Brunson called the fire department, which had a tool for opening deadbolted doors.

Upon entering the apartment, one of the firefighters exclaimed that a man inside had a knife. According to his testimony, Corporal Brunson drew his revolver and went inside. He saw Granados covered in blood, keeping his right hand hidden. In response to Brunson's orders, Granados raised his hand, in which he held a bloody kitchen knife. Brunson ordered Granados to drop the knife, but Granados shouted back, "Shoot me, just shoot me!" Granados eventually dropped the knife and was handcuffed and taken outside. Brunson then re-entered the apartment and saw Anthony Jiminez's body. He then found Katharine Jiminez, covered in blood. Brunson testified that Jiminez said to him, "He killed my baby, and I have been waiting for you to come."

Katharine Jiminez was taken to a hospital. She suffered 27 stab wounds. One of them damaged her spinal cord and caused a loss of feeling in her legs.

Granados had no prior criminal convictions, but prosecutors presented evidence of a history of domestic violence. A former girlfriend testified that Granados punched and choked her, and that she found bite marks and bruises on her three-year-old son after he visited Granados. Granados admitted to a case worker that he bit the boy and had spanked him, leaving bruises. Other testimony showed that Granados once injured a family member by assaulting him or her with a beer bottle.

In Texas, killing a child under the age of 6 is a capital offense. A jury convicted Granados of capital murder in April 1999 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in May 2002. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Jiminez watched Granados' execution from a viewing room reserved for victims and their families. In his last statement, Granados spoke to her while looking at the ceiling. "Kathy, you know I never meant to hurt you," he said. "I gave you everything, and that's what made me so angry. But I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry." Granados also expressed love to his family and supporters. The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.