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| -Obits- |
| Humberto Leal Jr. executed as scheduled |
| 2011-07-08 |
| Adios, muchacho... HUNTSVILLE -- Strapped to the gurney in Huntsville's death chamber Thursday evening, Humberto Leal Jr. used his last words to apologize to both his family and the family of his victim, a San Antonio teen. "I have hurt a lot of people," he said. "Let this be final and be done. I take the full blame for this. I am sorry and forgive me, I am truly sorry." The family of his 16-year-old victim, Adria Sauceda, was not present. Robert McClure, the man who prosecuted Leal in 1995, attended with another Sauceda family friend. Leal, 38, turned his head and spotted McClure. He nodded in his direction and said "Mr. McClure." The prosecutor responded, "You remember me." Leal then began his last statement at 6:10 p.m. and the lethal dose of drugs was administered a minute later. "I am sorry for the victim's family and what I had did," he continued. "May they forgive me. I don't know if you believe me." Leal ended by saying, "One more thing, Viva Mexico, Viva Mexico." "Ready warden, let's get this show on the road." He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m. The execution came 17 years after the gruesome sexual assault and bludgeoning death of Adria, who was last seen alive with Leal after a neighborhood party in the early hours May 21, 1994. The teen's nude body was found on a dirt road that ended in a wooded, secluded area not far from the South Side party. A 35- to 40-pound rock was used to bludgeon her in the face and head. A stick was left protruding from her body. The execution followed a lengthy legal battle over consular rights that at the end of June included a petition for a stay of execution from the Obama administration to the U.S. Supreme Court. It came an hour after the high court voted 5-4 to deny all petitions to delay it, saying it was the court's job to decide on law already in place, not what the law may be in the future. Both the administration and Babcock, Leal's Chicago-based attorney, in separate petitions, cited a bill pending before Congress, the Consular Notification Compliance Act, which would allow federal courts to review cases of foreign nationals on death row. The International Court of Justice, in a 2004 ruling, had suggested the reviews as a remedy to its finding that the United States had violated the Vienna Convention by not letting 51 Mexican nationals, including Leal, know they could request help from their consulate when they were arrested. Lawyers for the Texas attorney general's office contend the application to the Supreme Court was meritless and only the latest in a barrage of appeals -- all unsuccessful -- by Leal since he was sentenced by a jury in Bexar County in 1995. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday had denied a similar request to stay Leal's execution. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 I came here to say, fuck off and die. But it appears he went out with some realization of his impact in this life. So I'll change that: good luck, muchacho, and I hope you'll be better served next time around. |
| Posted by: KBK 2011-07-08 21:50 |
| #7 Why do we honor dual citizenship? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-07-08 19:34 |
| #6 "Leal ended by saying, 'One more thing, Viva Mexico, Viva Mexico.'" If it's so viva, why didn't you STAY there, you worthless POS? What mojo said. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-07-08 18:08 |
| #5 Vaya a infierno, pendejo. |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-07-08 16:09 |
| #4 That whole house bill seems to be to give foreign nationals (and illegal aliens) special rights which citizens don't have. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-07-08 12:56 |
| #3 Bummer wanted to cut him some slack because he was an illegal alien from Mexico. If he'd been a citizen nobody would have noticed. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2011-07-08 11:43 |
| #2 Keep in mind that Leal was an Illegal Alien who's been sitting on Death Row for 16 years. Which is 16 years too long. From an article in Human Events: If the people of Texas disagree with the GovernorÂ’s administration of justice, they can always vote him out of office. Where would they go to vote against the International Court of Justice? Indeed. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-07-08 08:34 |
| #1 yeah, Viva Mexico, you POS |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-07-08 08:22 |