Leader of 'Texas 7' faces execution

Cop killer George Rivas, who orchestrated a mass escape from a Texas prison in 2000, says he's at peace with his death sentence "because it's almost over." Rivas faces execution Wednesday. His attorney told him a reprieve was unlikely, due to his murder of police officer Aubrey Hawkins during a robbery weeks after his prison escape in 2000. In an interview with The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published Sunday, Rivas stood by what he said 11 years ago: He deserves to die for his crimes. "It's bittersweet," Rivas said. "Bitter because I hurt for my family, for them. Sweet because it's almost over." A career criminal, Rivas made history on Dec. 13, 2000, when he and six other inmates, dubbed "the Texas Seven," overcame guards at a southern Texas prison and escaped, dodging authorities until Jan. 22, 2001, when he was captured in Woodland Park, Colo.