Execution Report: Jose Villegas

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A jury found Villegas guilty of capital murder in May 2002 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence in February 2004. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

The charges from 2000 that Villegas was scheduled to answer on the day of the murders were finally disposed after he arrived on Death Row. Villegas pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and felony indecent exposure with a child. He also pleaded guilty to evading arrest and theft of property, incidents that were related to the murders.

In his last days, Villegas' lawyers attempted to convince the courts that they had new evidence that Villegas was mentally retarded and therefore ineligible to be executed. His execution was held up for about a half an hour as prison officials awaited a final word from the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices voted 5-4 not to stop the execution.

Six members of the Perez family witnessed the execution.

"I would like to remind my children once again I love them," Villegas said in his last statement. "Everything is OK. I love you all, and I love my children. I am at peace." The lethal injection was then started. He then said, "It does kind of burn. Goodbye, goodbye." He was pronounced dead at 7:04 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 17 April 2014.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, public records, Associated Press, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Huntsville Item.