Texas man executed for beheading 3 children: 'Going to be with my kids'
A South Texas man convicted of murdering three young children he helped raise was executed Thursday evening, nearly 23 years after the killings.
Key points
- "I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my lord and savior." ALABAMA GOVERNOR COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE AS DOUBTS EMERGE ABOUT EVIDENCE IN MURDER CONVICTION The execution brought an end to a case dating back to March 11, 2003, when Rubio and Camacho killed their three children inside a windowless apartment.
- According to court records, Rubio was not the biological father of the two older children but had nevertheless taken on a parental role in their lives, the outlet reported.
- The apartment building where the children were killed has since been demolished, and the property was transformed into a community park and garden, according to the AP.
OKLAHOMA MAN, 73, EXECUTED FOR PLOTTING MURDER OF LOVER'S HUSBAND, OFFERS NO LAST WORDS The execution, scheduled for 6 p.m., proceeded without incident.
Rubio was convicted of stabbing and beheading his children, Julissa Quezada, 3, John Esteban Rubio, 1, and Mary Jane Rubio, 2 months old.
Additional details
- In the lead-up to the killings, Rubio reportedly claimed the children were possessed and cast himself as the "chosen one" destined to save the world.
- In his final statement, Rubio thanked his friends and family for their "love and understanding," acknowledged that he was "not the same person I once was" and expressed his love for his wife, according to the AP.
- "I can’t change the past, but I can tell you my life is going to be over.
- His defense team also painted a picture of a deeply troubled childhood, citing violence, toxic parents, drug use and prostitution as factors that stunted his development, the AP said.
- John Allen Rubio, 46, of Brownsville, received a lethal injection at a state prison in Huntsville, according to The Associated Press (AP).
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