A Texas death row inmate who kidnapped and strangled a 5-year-old girl was executed Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined requests for a stay.
According to AP News, David Renteria, 53, died on Thursday night, following the November 2001 abduction and murder of Alexandra Flores. Renteria was convicted of strangling Flores after taking her from an El Paso Walmart while she shopped with family before Christmas.
Court documents indicate that Renteria burned the child’s body after strangling her death, then dumped her in an alley around 16 miles away from the Walmart. Police said he scoped out the store and area for around 40 minutes before honing in on her.
Security footage showed the victim walking out of the store with Renteria. Blood later found inside his van matched Alexandra’s DNA. Investigators also discovered Renteria’s handprint on the bag found around Alexandra’s head.
“I’m sorry for all the wrongs I have done. And for those who have called for my death, who are about to murder me, I forgive you,” Renteria said, in part, before his death.
During the execution, Renteria sang hymns in Spanish and English after witnesses, including the victim’s family, entered to observe behind a nearby window. He then prayed with a spiritual advisor beside him inside the chamber.
Officials pronounced him dead 11 minutes after being injected with a lethal dose of pentobarbital.
Alexandra’s two older siblings held up a photo collage of her for the media following the execution. Alexandra, according to her sister, was the “baby” in a family of eight children
“I want to recognize her, not forget about her,” Alexandara’s sister, Ignacio Frausto, said. “It took 22 years but the time came. It is done. We can finally and really begin to heal — 22 years of wondering what was going to happen.”
Renteria’s execution took place after the U.S. Supreme Court declined two separate requests for a stay, both submitted on Thursday.
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[Feature Photo: Alexandra Flores/Family Handout]
