A 41-year-old man was executed in Texas on Wednesday for the 2004 murder of a young mother, marking the 13th execution in the United States this year. Moises Sandoval Mendoza was put to death by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, according to a statement by Attorney General Ken Paxton, First Post reported.
Brutal crime shocked small Texas town
Mendoza was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson, a mother of a five-month-old daughter. According to court records, after killing Tolleson, Mendoza transported her body to a nearby ditch and set it on fire. Her remains were discovered days later.
The two had known each other since high school, and the murder stunned their small community. Mendoza eventually confessed to the killing, and although he later appealed to have his sentence commuted to life imprisonment, all appeals were denied, including a final petition to the US Supreme Court just hours before the execution.
Final words include apology to victim’s family
In a statement released before his death, Mendoza expressed remorse to Tolleson’s family. “To Avery… I robbed you of a mother. I’m sorry for that,” he said, referring to Tolleson’s daughter. “I know nothing that I could ever say or do would ever make up for that.”
Texas officials carried out the execution without delay after the high court declined to intervene. Attorney General Paxton reaffirmed the state’s position in the aftermath, stating, “I will always do everything in my power to defend the law and hold criminals accountable.”
Controversial execution method draws renewed attention
Mendoza’s execution was the ninth by lethal injection in the US this year. The country has also carried out two executions by firing squad and two using nitrogen hypoxia—a method denounced as inhumane by United Nations experts. The use of alternative methods has sparked renewed debate about the ethics and legality of capital punishment in America.
Although 23 US states have abolished the death penalty, it remains active in others, with California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania currently observing moratoriums. Texas leads the nation in executions and has long defended the practice as a deterrent against the most serious crimes.
Trump-era push continues to influence capital punishment policy
US President Donald Trump remains a staunch supporter of capital punishment. On his first day in office, he called for broader use of the death penalty for what he described as “the vilest crimes.” His administration oversaw a record number of federal executions during his term, reversing a longstanding pause.
Mendoza’s execution underscores the enduring divide over capital punishment in the US, even as a growing number of states move to ban or pause the practice. With more executions scheduled in Texas and other states later this year, the debate is unlikely to subside.
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