Cop killer and “Texas 7” prison escape leader George Rivas was executed by lethal injection February 29.
Now if you or I were to escape from prison, we would most likely take great pains not to be recaptured, maybe even hightail it out of the state. But back in December of 2000, Rivas’ gang of super-geniuses thought it was a much smarter idea to go on a crime spree, robbing a Radio Shack (really?) and then a sporting goods store, ambushing and killing Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins, 29, who had just finished eating Christmas Eve dinner with his family when he responded to the call.
Rivas will be the second of the crew executed and the third to die, a serial rapist having committed suicide as the police closed in. Joseph Garcia, Randy Halprin and Patrick Murphy all await execution on death row. Donald Newbury was scheduled for execution on February 1, but received a U.S. Supreme Court stay.
Lessons:
(Hat tip: Urban Grounds, who hasn’t added me to his blogroll yet. (Hey, it worked when I mentioned it for Blue Dot Blues.))
Tags: Crime, death penalty, Texas