Posted on 07/08/2011 1:18:31 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Humberto Leal Garcia was executed in Huntsville, Texas, Thursday after being convicted of raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl in 1994. His death comes after failed attempts by his attorney as well as the Obama administration to delay his execution until the end of this year due to concerns of rights violations.
According to the local newspaper, Huntsville Item, Garcia accepted responsibility for his crimes and appeared remorseful prior to his death. While he was lying “strapped to a gurney in the death house, he apologized for his actions and said he wanted Christ in his life.”
“I’ve hurt a lot of people,” Leal said, according to the Item, “I know Christ has forgiven me, and I accept his forgiveness. I am sorry for the victim’s family for what I did. May they forgive me. Let’s get this show on the road, Warden.”
As the drugs began to set in, Garcia said, “Viva Mexico.” He then took his last breath and shouted again, “Viva Mexico!” According to CBS, the 38-year-old mechanic was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m. local time, exactly 10 minutes after the drugs were injected.
His sister, Mary Angel Tello, was distraught throughout the entire process and eventually vomited while inside the unit.
Relatives of Garcia gathered in Guadalupe, Mexico, and burned a T-shirt with an image of the U.S. flag in protest, according to CBS. Garcia’s uncle, Alberto Rodriguez, criticized his nephew’s death and said, "There is a God who makes us all pay."
The allegation of rights violation stems from the fact that Garcia was a Mexican native. As such, he had the right to contact the Mexican consulate upon his arrest to seek legal aid. U.S. law enforcement failed to notify Garcia of his right to do so, as outlined in the international treaty known as the Vienna Convention.
Garcia’s lawyers argued that had he been able to contact the consulate, he might have avoided death row.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Thursday to deny a stay of execution. The opinion by the majority refused to delay the execution until Congress could pass legislation which would give federal courts the authority to consider international treaties and rulings when dealing with foreign inmates.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) previously introduced a bill that would allow such international treaties jurisdiction in states like Texas. However, it has yet to be made into law.
The court issued this statement by the majority: "We decline to follow the United States' suggestion of granting a stay to allow Leal (Garcia) to bring a claim based on hypothetical legislation when it cannot even bring itself to say that his attempt to overturn his conviction has any prospect of success."
"Our task is to rule on what the law is, not what it might eventually be," the majority continued.
The high court also addressed the Obama administration’s appeal, stating, “The United States and Justice [Stephen] Breyer complain of the grave international consequences that will follow from Leal’s execution. Congress evidently did not find these consequences sufficiently grave to prompt its enactment of implementing legislation, and we will follow the law as written by Congress. We have no authority to stay an execution in light of an ‘appeal of the President.’”
Mexico is outraged at the execution, stating that it violated an International Court of Justice ruling in 2004. The ruling ordered the U.S. to review capital punishment of Mexican nationals.
After the ruling, President George W. Bush required state courts to review their cases. However, Texas fought back, claiming that state courts are not inferior to the rulings of the ICJ or any other foreign court.
According to The Associated Press, Mexico sent a note to the U.S. State Department condemning the execution. It is also reported that Mexican ambassador, Arturo Sarukhan, called Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss the matter. Perry allegedly refused to speak on the phone.
Obama is concerned that by not abiding by the Vienna Convention, international governments may feel empowered to ignore the consular rights of U.S. nationals abroad. It is not clear yet what repercussions this execution will have, if any, on such international relations.
He was TWO when he came to this country. Native/ schmative. He’d lived his entire life here, illegally then? And I bet if you tally how much he cost/ consumed in FREE education, any food or housing subsidies? certainly upkeep in jail, you’d find a pretty penny was spent by US taxpayers to help him. You can just bet he wasn’t a self-supporting businessman.
What’s a citizen of Mexico doing in the US anyway? And here since he was 2? Give it a rest.
good riddance.
Staying out of reach of the pitch fork!! will be his problem!! More coal, more coal, it is cold in here, LOL
I hope he did repent in his heart.
The book of Jonah is a short read with only 4 chapters. But it teaches the right way to be non-judgmental. It’s not by ignoring the difference between good and evil or saying evil doesn’t matter. It’s by learning to see people with the potential that God sees them and learning to love them even when they are still mired in wickedness.
Waaah
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Garcia said, “Viva Mexico.” He then took his last breath and shouted again, “Viva Mexico!”
God may very well have forgiven you but justice must still be exacted and well...I guess it was.
Hey Mexico! kiss my all American ass! Your outrage makes me laugh!
Good.
He did it, he’s dead, let’s sweep him into the gutter where the rats can feed on his flesh. Maybe Jesus will forgive him, but his “old testament” Father no doubt sent this bastard straight to hell.
Remember, if we do not repent and accept Christ's sacrificial atonement for our sins, then we are just as worthy of hell and damnation as he was.
5-4 decision
an object lesson on why the Presidency of the US is the most important office in the land - and why a Republican, any Republican, is better in that office than any Dem.
Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan and Ginsberg...the Maxist Cabal of America-hating, pro-Muslim, pro-UN maggots who infest our bench.
I pray that one day these traitors will see justice for their crimes against our nation.
Bush and Obama, too.
The part that drives me nuts is that this guy was convicted of hurting another girl in a similar incident before...this wasn’t his first crime like this...the Media left this part out, of course.
As the drugs began to set in, Garcia said, “Viva Mexico.” He then took his last breath and shouted again, “Viva Mexico!” (from the article)A NATION OF SHEEP INVITES THE INVASION OF WOLVES
Viva Texas!
Forgive and forget? Christ may have forgiven him, but the American justice system did not forget about him.
Looks like Rick Pery made Senor Garcia into a shovel ready project. That’s one more than Dick Obama has accounted for.
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