Execution Report: Khristian Oliver

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A jury convicted Oliver of capital murder in April 1999 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in April 2002. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

The biggest controversy in Oliver's case was the fact that some of the jurors at his punishment hearing consulted the Bible while deciding on his sentence. The courts ruled that, although the Bible was improperly used as an external influence in Oliver's sentencing hearing, Oliver and his attorneys failed to show that it affected the outcome of the jury's deliberations.

Sonya Fawn Reed was convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Because of their age and in exchange for their testimonies, the Rubalcana brothers received lighter sentences. Lonnie Rubalcana was sentenced to ten years, and Bennie Rubalcana was sentenced to five.

Oliver's execution was attended by members of both his and his victim's families. "I know you're not going to get the closure you are looking for," he said to the Collins family. Still, he said "I wish you the best" and said he prayed for them "every day and every night". Next, he told his parents that he loved them. He then began reciting Psalm 23, which begins, "The Lord is my Shepherd..." He got most of the way through it, to "my cup runneth over", before the drugs began to take effect. He was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 9 November 2009. Typographical error corrected on 2 July 2015.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Associated Press, court documents, public records.