A Texas man was convicted of luring a 5-year-old girl from a Walmart store where she was Christmas shopping with her family nearly 22 years ago, strangling her and burning her body, the Associated Press reported. He was executed Thursday night, the Associated Press reported. David Renteria, 53, received an injection at the state prison in Huntsville for the murder of Alexandra Flores and was pronounced dead at 7:11 p.m. CST. Renteria prayed, sang, and asked for forgiveness before his execution. “I am sorry for all the mistakes I have made and I forgive those who have demanded my death, those who are trying to kill me,” he said loud and clear to those present. He spoke in a deep voice. He was pronounced dead 11 minutes later after receiving a lethal dose of the powerful sedative pentobarbital.
Renteria sang a hymn in Spanish and then prayed with a spiritual advisor standing next to him, while witnesses, including relatives of the victims, entered the death chamber and watched from a window several feet away from Renteria. After that, they sang another hymn in English. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the fateful events of that day and what happened,” he said, looking at the victims’ relatives. “There are no words to describe what you are going through, and I understand that.” He told his sister and friend, who were watching from another window, that he was “fine…strong.” he said. “I love you all so much. See you again in the next life.”
Then, as the medicine started flowing, he began reciting the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father who art in heaven” is his limit. “I can taste it,” he said of the medicine, mumbled something, took two deep breaths, snored twice, and then all movement stopped. Ignacio Frausto and Sandra Frausto spoke to reporters after witnessing Renteria’s death, holding up a photo collage of their slain sister, the baby of eight children in their family. “I don’t want to forget who she is, I want to acknowledge who she is,” Ignacio Frausto said, crying. “It’s taken 22 years, but the time has come. It’s over. We can finally and truly begin to heal. It’s been 22 years of wondering what would happen.”
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