Canada Journal – News of the World Articles and videos to bring you the biggest Canadian news stories from across the country every day
Texas man Licho Escamilla has become the 12th person executed by the State of Texas this year.
Licho Escamilla was given the death penalty for the 2001 fatal shooting of Christopher Kevin James, who was trying to break up the brawl when he was shot.
The 33-year-old prisoner was pronounced dead 18 minutes after the lethal injection was administered at Huntsville, Texas.
He is the 24th convicted killer to be executed this year in the US, 12 of which have taken place in Texas.
Before he died, Escamilla looked at Officer James’ daughter and said: “God bless your heart.”
He told his family: “Pope Francis, God’s children has asked the state of Texas to switch my death sentence to life in prison.
“But the state of Texas has refused to listen to God’s children.
“They will have to take that up with God. Let everyone know it’s not over.”
The US Supreme Court refused to review Escamilla’s case last week and no additional appeals were filed.
Mr James and three other uniformed officers were working off-duty security in November 2001 when a brawl erupted outside a Dallas club.
Escamilla, who was involved in the brawl, pulled out a gun and fired on the officers as they tried to end the fight.
Officer James, 34, was hit twice, knocking him to the ground. Escamilla then walked up to him and fired three more shots into the back of his head, before firing at other officers as he attempted to escape.
He was later arrested while attempting to carjack a truck while wounded.
Dallas police officers saluted as relatives of Mr James entered the prison ahead of the execution.
Escamilla was 19 at the time of the killing and a warrant had been issued for his arrest over the shooting dead of a neighbour three weeks earlier.
His lawyers had argued that he was responsible for the officer’s death, but that it did not merit the death sentence because Mr James was off-duty and the crime did not qualify as capital murder.
He was sentenced to death in October 2002. At his trial, Escamilla grabbed a water pitcher and threw it at the jury as his sentence was read out.
He also started kicking and hitting people and hid under a table until deputies triggered the electronic stun belt he was wearing.
Agencies/Canadajournal
You may not like executions, so be it. This man killed two of God’s children, was a gangster by 18 and just plain bad news. What he did was just plain evil. I’m Glad he found god. At least he had 14 years to prepare himself for his indiscretions. Taking 2 lives within 3 weeks? He got what he deserved. I’m just surprised it took Texas so long.