Edgar Tamayo Arias Execution Carried Out Despite Government Requests for Clemency
Edgar Tamayo Arias, 46, was put to death by lethal injection last night in the state of Texas, despite calls from the Mexican and United States government to stop the execution.
Arias received the lethal dose of pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 9:32 p.m. CST. He gave no final statement and never made eye contact with the family of his victim, Guy Gaddis. Several police offers and Gaddis supporters reportedly revved their motorcycle engines before witnesses were let into the death chamber. Gaddis did not want any of his family at the execution and therefore, had no witnesses present.
His family had hoped for clemency in the case and for Arias to be returned to Mexico, where he was still a legal citizen. The Mexican government, along with the U.S. State Department, wanted the execution stopped and Arias returned to his native country as a sign of goodwill between the two countries and possibly for the protection of Americans currently being held abroad.
"It doesn't matter where you're from," Governor Rick Perry's spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said on Tuesday. "If you commit a despicable crime like this in Texas, you are subject to our state laws, including a fair trial by jury and the ultimate penalty."
Arias was found guilty of killing Officer Gaddis in 1994 while he was being transported to jail after a robbery. After the police car crashed, Arias attempted to flee on foot but was later captured. His death now brings a sense of relief to Gaddis' family.
"He's a coward just like when he shot my brother in the back of the head and he died a coward," Glen Gaddis told the Associated Press.
"A little bit of my shredded heart is feeling better," Gayle Gaddis, Guy's mother, added.
The execution was delayed for three hours as attorneys waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the case and ultimately denied any claims for clemency and allowed the execution to be carried out.
