Execution Report: George Rivas

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A jury convicted Rivas of capital murder in August 2001 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in June 2004. Even though Rivas got the death sentence he asked for, he continued to file appeals in state and federal courts and to the state clemency board for eight more years, all the way up to the week of his death. All of them were denied.

All five of the other surviving escapees were also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Rodriguez was executed in 2008 after dropping his appeals. Newbury had been scheduled for execution earlier this month until the United States Supreme Court intervened and issued a stay. Murphy, Garcia, and Halprin are on death row and have yet to receive execution dates. Rodriguez's father, Raul, pleaded guilty to helping the prisoners escape.

From death row, Rivas described his upcoming execution to a reporter as "bittersweet". "Bitter because I hurt for my family, for them," he said, "Sweet because it's almost over."

Rivas said that prison was a constant reminder of the wrong decisions he made in life. He said he thought of Hawkins frequently, especially every Christmas. He said he regretted that "I didn't find Christ sooner."

In the interview, Rivas said that he had always tried not to hurt anyone. He said chose the other members of the escape gang because he believed they weren't likely to hurt anyone, and that they all went to great lengths to avoid hurting corrections officers.

"Quite honestly, if we wanted to be brutal, we had sledgehammers. We had axes," he said. "The reason every single one of them is alive is because we didn't want to hurt them."

Rivas said Hawkins' killing was the first time "that I had actually used a weapon on a person."

Toby Shook, former Dallas County assistant district attorney, dismissed Rivas's self-portrayal as an outlaw with a conscience. "He's quite the storyteller," Shook said.

No one from Hawkins' family attended Rivas's execution. The witnesses for the victim included Shook and four of Hawkins' former police colleagues. A Canadian woman named Cheri, who Rivas recently married by proxy, also attended.

"First of all, for the Aubrey Hawkins family, I do apologize for everything that happened," Rivas said in his last statement. "Not because I'm here, but for closure in your hearts. I really do believe you deserve that." Rivas then expressed love to his wife, sister, son, other friends and family, and his fellow death row inmates.

"Thank you to the people involved and the courtesy of the officers," he said in conclusion. "I am grateful for everything in my life. To my wife, take care of yourself. I will be waiting for you. I love you. God bless. I am ready to go." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 2 March 2012.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.