Execution Report: Mark Soliz

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A jury found Soliz guilty of capital murder in March 2012 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence in June 2014.

Jose Claremont Ramos Jr. was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison.

At his trial and in his appeals, Soliz claimed that he suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which his lawyer called the "functional equivalent" of an intellectual disability, thus making him ineligible for execution on the basis of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibits the execution of mentally retarded convicts.

All of Soliz's appeals in state and federal court were denied. His case moved through the courts relatively quickly, resulting in a time of only 7½ years on death row. Soliz chose not to file a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Members of Nancy Weatherly's family attended Soliz's execution, which began on schedule shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Soliz made a lengthy last statement in which he addressed his victim's relatives by their first names and apologized to them repeatedly. "I wanted to apologize for the grief and the pain that I caused y'all," he began. "I've been considering changing my life. It took me 27 years to do so. Man, I want to apologize, I don't know if me passing will bring y'all comfort for the pain and suffering I caused y'all."

After continuing in this vein for a while, Soliz turned to his own witnesses and addressed them by name. He thanked them for introducing him to Jesus Christ and asked them to tell his parents he loved them.

"To all my supporters out there," he concluded, "thank you for the support and positive wisdom and words. And to all the people who wrote me, and to all the people who have people on Death Row, show them love and support. They need it. Thank you for putting in the effort. I want to thank those that did. Bubble and Sophia, God loves y'all. I love y'all. Mr. Warden, I'm ready." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 11 September 2019.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Huntsville Item, Texas Tribune.