Ruben Gutierrez, a 47-year-old Texas inmate, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the 1998 murder of 85-year-old Escolastica Harrison.
Gutierrez was convicted of fatally stabbing Harrison, a mobile home park manager and retired teacher, in her Brownsville home. Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez killed Harrison in an attempt to steal money she had hidden in her residence.
Despite maintaining his innocence throughout his legal battles, Gutierrez has exhausted all appeals. His claims of not being involved in Harrison’s death have not swayed the courts, and the execution is set to proceed as planned.
Read: Tampa Man Charged With Murder Following Fatal Stabbing And Prior Homicide
The case has drawn attention due to the decades-long gap between the crime and the impending execution. Gutierrez’s supporters have rallied behind him, highlighting the length of time he has spent on death row and questioning the reliability of the evidence used to convict him.
However, prosecutors maintain that the evidence against Gutierrez is overwhelming, including DNA found at the crime scene and witness testimony. They believe that justice is being served with the execution.
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The execution of Ruben Gutierrez marks another controversial chapter in Texas’s history with capital punishment. The state has a long and complex relationship with the death penalty, carrying out more executions than any other state in the U.S.
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