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| Donnie Lee Roberts |
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Donnie Lee Roberts, convicted in his girlfriend's 2003 slaying in Texas, was executed Wednesday for fatally shooting the woman and taking items from her home to sell or trade to support his drug habit.
Roberts, 41, became the 12th inmate to be put to death this year in the nation's most active capital punishment state. He was given a lethal injection for the killing of Vicki Bowen at her East Texas home.
"I'm really sorry. I never meant to cause you all so much pain," Roberts said to Bowen's father, who was seated in a chair close to the glass surrounding the death chamber. "I hope you can go on with your life.
"I loved your daughter. I hope to God he lets me see her in Heaven so I can apologize to her and see her and tell her."
Roberts took several deep breaths as the lethal drug began taking effect, then began snoring briefly. He was pronounced dead 23 minutes later at 6:39 p.m. CDT.
His execution came after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case earlier this week, and no additional appeals were filed to try to block the execution. 3 more Texas prisoners are set to die in November, including 1 next week.
Roberts becomes the 12th condemned inmate to be put to death in Texas this year
and the 489th overall since the state resumed capital punishment on December 7,
1982. Roberts becomes the 250th condemned inmate to be put to death in Texas
since Rick Perry became Governor in 2001.
Roberts becomes the 35th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the
USA and the 1312th overall since executions resumed on january 17, 1977. The
Death penalty was re-legalized in the USA on July 2, 1976, after it was stopped
4 years earlier on June 29, 1972.
Source: AP, Rick Halperin, October 31, 2012
Texas - Still doing its worst: 250th execution under current governor
In under a dozen years, Texas has killed more than twice as many people in its lethal injection chamber as any other state in the USA has put to death in the 3 1/2 decades since the US Supreme Court allowed executions to resume under new capital laws.
Texas has now carried out its 250th execution under Governor Perry.
Texas should recognize that the only way to eradicate the discrimination, error, unfairness and cruelty associated with the death penalty is to abolish it.
Source: Amnesty international, October 31, 2012
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