Execution Report: Abel Ochoa

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A jury found Ochoa guilty of the capital murder of his wife and daughter in May 2003 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in January 2005. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

On a web site that features art from prisoners, Ochoa is quoted as saying, "Crack cocaine made me do things I would have never done. You know anybody on drugs? Tell them to get away. It'll get them nowhere but in prison."

In his last statement at his execution, Ochoa thanked Jesus for his salvation apologized to his victims' families.

"I would like to thank God, my dad, my Lord Jesus savior for saving me and changing my life," he said. "I want to apologize to my in-laws for causing all this emotional pain. I love y'all and consider y'all my sister I never had. I want to thank you for forgiving me."

The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:48 p.m.

After the execution, Jonathan Duran, Cecilia's son, said, "After 17 years, me, my family, my grandfather, my aunts, and my uncles can finally say that we got closure ... we got justice."

By David Carson. Posted on 7 February 2020.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Huntsville Item, windowsondeathrow.