Execution Report: Pablo Vasquez

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A jury found Vasquez guilty of capital murder in December 1998 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in April 2002. All of his subsequent appeals in stated and federal court were denied.

After the verdict was announced in court, Maria Vasquez apologized to the Cardenas family on behalf of her son. She said he was "a good son" and was sorry for what he did.

Andres Rafael Chapa was charged with capital murder and faced a possible life sentence if he had been convicted. He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. In 2002, he received an additional sentence of 3 years for possessing a deadly weapon while incarcerated. He remains in custody as of this writing.

Arnulfo Sifuentes, Angelita Sifuentes, and Juan Garza - all relatives of Vasquez - pleaded guilty to hiding evidence. They were each sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution. Additionally, Arnulfo Sifuentes was to be deported to his home country of Guatemala.

Vasquez declined requests for interviews from Death Row.

Two of Vasquez's sisters, a brother-in-law, and a cousin attended his execution. In his last statement, he looked at them, told them he loved them, and thanked them for being there. He then turned his head to look through an adjacent window where four of his victim's relatives stood.

"I'm sorry to David's family," he said. "This is the only way that I can be forgiven. You got your justice right here."

The lethal injection was then started. As the pentobarbital began taking effect, Vasquez said he felt a little dizzy. He raised his head off of the gurney pillow and looked at his relatives again. "See you on the other side," he said. He then lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 6 April 2016.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, public records, Associated Press, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.