Tamayo Executed in Texas Despite Protests

After 20 years in prison, Edgar Arias Tamayo was executed in Huntsville, TX on Wednesday, January 22nd, despite protests and diplomatic pressure from the Mexican government. Tamayo was a 46-year-old Mexican national who was convicted in the January 1994 murder of Houston Police Officer Guy Gaddis.

Guy Gaddis was 24 years old when he was killed by 3 bullets fired from a gun Tamayo was hiding in his pants, while handcuffed in the back of Gaddis’ patrol car. (See the TX Dept of Criminal Justice Offender Information here).

Officer Gaddis’ mother, two brothers and two other relatives were present at the execution. Tamayo made no final statement and was pronounced dead at 9:32 p.m. CST, 17 minutes after being injected with the lethal drug.

Efforts to halt Tamayo’s execution were shot down by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts despite claims that the execution would violate an international agreement because Tamayo was not informed of his right to get legal help from the Mexican consulate after his arrest. The consulate was, however, informed about Tamayo’s case at the beginning of his trial.

After the Supreme Court rejection, Tamayo’s attorneys issued a statement saying Texas Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott “ignored promises they made to our nation’s leaders that they would ensure review of Mr. Tamayo’s consular rights violation.” But a spokeswoman for Perry said it made no difference where someone was from: “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.”

Secretary of State John Kerry also got involved in this case, asking Greg Abbott to delay the execution because it “could impact the way American citizens are treated in other countries.” The State Department echoed Kerry’s concerns on Wednesday, but the attorney’s generals office opposed any further delay, as did the Harris County district attorney.

That last part make you think of Kenneth Bae in North Korea?