Texas executes man who beheaded three children, including 2-month-old baby

Texas executes man who beheaded three children, including 2-month-old baby by MICHAEL GRACZYK and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press Fri, November 13, 2026 at 4:56 AM This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows John Allen Rubio on Oct. 31, 2022. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP). Comment on this story 0 Comment Share story Share topics: Texas Rubio Lethal injection Death penalty Beheading Brownsville Oklahoma execution Pentobarbital HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man convicted of fatally stabbing and beheading three young children in a squalid, windowless apartment in 2003 was executed Thursday evening, hours after Oklahoma put another man to death. John Allen Rubio, 46, was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. after a lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville. The killings of the baby girl and two toddlers so rocked the city of Brownsville on the U.S. border with Mexico that the apartment building was later demolished and the land turned into a park and community garden. After a spiritual adviser prayed over him briefly, Rubio thanked friends and family for their “love and understanding” and said he was “not the same person I once was.” He thanked prison staff for teaching him how to find God and also expressed love for his common-law wife, Angela Camacho, who is serving life in prison for her role in the slayings. “I want to say I’m sorry to my wife’s family,” he said. “I can’t change the past but I can tell you my life is going to be over. But that’s not going to make you happy." “I’m going to be with my kids in a little bit,” he added. “I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my lord and savior.” As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began taking effect, Rubio took three breaths and began what sounded like snoring. All movement ceased afterward, and a physician pronounced him dead 21 minutes after the injection began. Earlier Thursday, James Pavatt, 73, received a lethal injection at an Oklahoma prison for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend’s estranged husband in 2001. The victim was killed as he arrived to pick up his two young children before Thanksgiving. Thursday’s executions were the 36th and 37th this year, with the U.S. on track to surpass 40 executions for a second consecutive year — a pace driven by Florida. The death penalty has drawn renewed attention since the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee in September. And last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would commute hundreds of death sentences before leaving office in January — what experts say would be the largest mass clemency in American history. Texas victims included a 2-month-old girl Rubio and Camacho were accused of killing 3-year-old Julissa Quesada, 14-month-old John E. Rubio and 2-month-old Mary Jane Rubio in the apartment they shared in Brownsville. Camacho drew a life sentence after pleading guilty. An appeals court overturned Rubio’s first capital murder conviction, ruling Camacho's statements were improperly admitted as evidence in his trial. At his second trial, Rubio again pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but again was convicted and sentenced to death. According to court records, Rubio wasn’t the biological father of the two older children but treated them as his own. At various points, Rubio claimed the children were possessed and that he was the “chosen one” intended to save the world. Defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, a finding prosecution experts rejected. The defense experts also testified his childhood — marked by violence at home, “toxic” parents, drug use and prostitution — damaged him developmentally. Trending Mobile groomer, dog found dead in van on Far Northwest Side Mobile groomer, dog found dead in van on Far Northwest Side GLP-1 weight loss drugs can cause blindness GLP-1 weight loss drugs can cause blindness Questions raised after groomer, dog die in van An investigation is underway after a mobile dog groomer and a dog were found dead inside the groomer’s van in a far Northwest Side neighborhood.The deaths happened Wednesday in the Davis Ranch area off Galm Road and FM Ken Paxton finalizes divorce from state Sen. Angela Paxton days after his U.S. Senate loss Ken Paxton finalizes divorce from state Sen. Angela Paxton days after his U.S. Senate loss Microsoft investigates Outlook email outage affecting users across the Americas Microsoft investigates Outlook email outage affecting users across the Americas NEWS IN PHOTOS: " Local " 12 Competing bills on combat-injured veterans’ retirement pay head to Senate 3 Edgewood ISD superintendent early retirement draws questions about district future 15 One hospitalized after being struck by vehicle on Northwest Side 7 Questions raised after groomer, dog die in van