Anti-death penalty groups make final push to halt execution of John Allen Rubio
Huntsville, TX (KRGV) — Anti-death penalty advocacy groups are urging Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop the execution of convicted killer John Allen Rubio.
Rubio was sentenced to death in two separate trials for killing and beheading his three children in 2003. He’s set to be executed Thursday in Huntsville, and the state pardons and parole board denied his clemency request on Tuesday.
Death Penalty Action has a petition on their website that has collected over 4,100 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon calling for the execution to be stopped.
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The group argues that jurors were not adequately presented with the evidence of Rubio’s mother’s substance abuse that stunted Rubio's mental development.
“Rubio’s mother testified that she did consume alcohol while pregnant with Rubio - a six pack of beer daily. This fact does not excuse Rubio’s crime, but provides an explanation for the behavior. Rubio has been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and developmental difficulties as a result,” the group said. “Despite knowing all of this, the court rejected his claims. Texas courts have not properly considered the possibility of an explanation of Rubio’s crime and denied him the chance of a proper trial with all of the relevant information available.”
The group said in a news release that Texas "has been one of only a handful of states that have carried out death sentences - and it continues to do so targeting the poor, the mentally ill, and people of color."
The group will also host a virtual vigil Thursday at 5 p.m. should the execution proceed.
A second nonprofit group, Execution Intervention Project, met on Monday to discuss a plan to have Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa halt and pause executions as soon as she comes into office.
Group founder Reverend Jeff Hood spoke about Rubio’s upcoming execution.
“Can we kill people without becoming killers ourselves? It's one of the most horrific crimes that has come up in a long time in Texas. He beheaded his children, it's unbelievably horrific. Of course, he deserves to be executed,” Hood said. “But the question is… what is good for society? You cannot create a better society by teaching people that killing is OK, you also cannot do justice by victim's family members by having them wait 30 years for justice or what the state tells them is justice. And then we're told, 'You're going to feel better after this happens.’ I have never seen or heard anybody who walks out of that chamber that feels better than when they walked in.”
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