Posted on 08/08/2008 5:39:25 AM PDT by bestintxas
HUNTSVILLE — An illegal immigrant from Honduras who claimed his treaty rights were violated when he was arrested for a robbery-murder near Dallas was executed Thursday evening.
"God forgive them, receive my spirit," Heliberto Chi said in English. In Spanish, he told a friend watching through a window that he loved him and appreciated his hard work. He appeared to be whispering a prayer in Spanish with a tear at the corner of his right eye as the lethal drugs began to take effect.
One of Chi's cousins, who was among the witnesses, sobbed uncontrollably. Two sons of his victims watched through another window and Chi glanced at them briefly but didn't appear to acknowledge them.
Chi was pronounced dead nine minutes later at 6:25 p.m. CDT.
Lawyers for Chi had claimed in appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court that he should have been told he could get legal assistance from the Honduran consulate when he was arrested in California and extradited to Texas to face charges for killing his former boss, Armand Paliotta, at a men's clothing store during a robbery 7 1/2 years ago. Chi had once worked for Paliotta as a tailor at the store in Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth.
The Supreme Court, ruling about 2 1/2 hours before his scheduled execution time, rejected his appeal without dissent.
The arguments in his case, focusing on rights of foreigners under international treaty, were similar to those used unsuccessfully Tuesday by lawyers for condemned Texas prisoner Jose Medellin. In that case, the Supreme Court, with four of the nine justices dissenting, rejected his appeal and the Mexican-born Medellin was executed for participating in the gruesome gang rape and murders of two teenage Houston girls 15 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
The earth also thanks you for reducing the carbon footprint needed to transport him back as well ;)
Almost makes me want to move back to Texas !
What this Country needs are more Judges like Isaac Parker.
I’VE BEEN SENT TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE
GOD BLESS TEXAS!!
A highway litter program slogan at first....wider application these days. :)
“God forgive them”???????
Wish the garbage would die a thousand times.
The ONLY relevant points in the case were whether or not he did it. It appears a jury convicted him of murder and decided the death penalty was appropriate.
God bless Texas and God damn the World Court.
God forgive them for what? In executing a criminal, the state is acting as God's agent.
Romans 13
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
It really gripes my ass when these rapists and murderers try to act like they were innocent and, dare I say it, Christ-like
God Bless Texas and all who make it a great State.
We should bring back firing squads with the blindfold and cigarettesw.
The world is a safer place.
Well, in this case, we're dealing with a different kind of trash.
Wow, even Ruth Bader Ginsburg said "Kill the S.O.B.!"
God bless Texas, my adopted state!
Like Ron White (stand-up comic from Texas) says, "if you come to Texas & kill somebody, we kill you back!"
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