Execution Report: John Quintanilla

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During the punishment phase of his trial, Quintanilla stated that he wanted to be put to death. He declined to allow his lawyers to present any mitigating evidence that might persuade the jury to vote against the death penalty.

A jury convicted Quintanilla of capital murder in December 2004 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in June 2007. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied. Most of his appeals focused on whether the confession he gave while in custody was coerced or whether he was adequately notified of his rights.

Jeffrey Alan Bibb was convicted of murder and received a 60-year prison sentence. He also faces an additional 50-year sentence for aggravated robbery. While in prison in 2008, he was convicted of possessing a prohibited substance and sentenced to 5 years. He remains in custody as of this writing.

Quintanilla's execution was delayed for about an hour as the U.S. Supreme Court considered and denied his final appeals.

The Billings' two daughters were among those who attended the execution on the victim's behalf. A German woman who married Quintanilla by proxy while he was on death row was also present.

"I would like to tell my wife I love her and thank her for all the years of happiness," Quintanilla said in his last statement. He did not acknowledge the other witnesses. The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 7:32 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 17 July 2013.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, Austin Chronicle, Victoria Advocate.