Texas executes man over deadly $8 robbery

The state of Texas executed a death row inmate convicted of fatally shooting a man in 1998, after robbing his victim of eight dollars.

Juan Garcia, 35, was pronounced dead at 6:26 pm local time (2326 GMT), a prison system spokeswoman told AFP. He was put to death by lethal injection.

Garcia, who was a teenager at the time of the murder, previously had sought clemency over mental health issues, but filed no appeal on Tuesday.

Prison officials said that Garcia's final remarks were, in part: "The harm that I did to your dad and husband, I hope this brings you closure to all of you. I never wanted to hurt any of you."

He was the 11th person put to death this year in Texas, the US state with the greatest number of executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

US states using the death penalty have faced obstacles over shortages of lethal injection drugs after European suppliers stopped supplying pentobarbital for use in executions.

Although Texas was affected by the shortage in the past, it now secures its pentobarbital from a specialist pharmacy.

The shortages have prompted prison departments in the states that still allow the death penalty to seek new supply sources or new drug mixes.
Source: AFP