Richard Andrade was executed by the State of Texas for the sexual assault and murder of a woman.
According to court documents Richard Andrade would sexually assault and then stab to death a young woman
Richard Andrade would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Richard Andrade would be executed by lethal injection on December 18 1986
Richard Andrade Photos
Richard Andrade FAQ
When was Richard Andrade executed
Richard Andrade was executed on December 18 1986
How was Richard Andrade executed
Richard Andrade was executed by lethal injection
Richard Andrade Case
A 25-year-old man whose hand-printed appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court was executed by injection early Thursday for the rape-murder of a woman he stabbed 14 times and left in a pool of blood.
Richard Andrade died at 12:32 a.m. for the 1984 slaying of Cordelia Mae Guevara, said Corrections Department spokesman Charles Brown.
After the needle was inserted into his right arm next to a tattoo of a woman’s head, Andrade turned away from the witnesses and shook his head when asked if he had a final statement.
His attorney, Eric Brown, had said Monday that Andrade had run out of legal avenues. Andrade filed his own requests for stays. He was turned down Tuesday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal judge and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and Wednesday by the high court.
Andrade never asked Gov. Mark White for a reprieve. White has refused to grant clemency in previous death penalty cases.
The Supreme Court rejected by a 7-2 vote the request for a stay in which Andrade claimed he had been denied effective legal help and needed more time to appeal his case. Only Justices William J. Brennan and Thurgood Marshall, who oppose capital punishment under all circumstances, voted to spare Andrade’s life.
″Justice is being done,″ said the victim’s sister, Catalina Meza. ″He should go ahead and die. That is what he rightfully deserves. The kind of murder he committed is only done by a person who is very sick.″
Andrade selected a final meal of pizza, pinto beans, Spanish rice and cake. He requested no personal witnesses to his execution.
His mood during the day Wednesday was described by prison officials as calm. He spent the afternoon visiting with four of his brothers.
A fellow death row inmate, Raymond Landry, who has a January execution date, said Andrade said goodbye Wednesday morning while guards were putting shackles on his wrists and ankles for transfer to the deathhouse holding cell.
″The expression on his face – that’s all you needed to know,″ Landry said. ″He had the expression on his face like he had given up hope. His eyes glazed up and he said ‘I’m ready to go, man.’ I don’t think there were any tears but the expression on his face showed they weren’t far behind.″
Andrade refused repeated requests for interviews. But Landry said Andrade had said ″he was afraid of them sticking a needle in his arm.″
Andrade, whose record included burglary, assault, theft and parole violation, would be the 10th Texas inmate to be executed this year and 20th since the state resumed executions in 1982. Both figures are the highest in the nation.
No other inmate had spent less time on death row in Texas before an execution date than Andrade, who was imprisoned 25 months ago for Ms. Guevara’s killing.
Brown, his attorney, said the use of computerized court records and accelerated action by the Texas attorney general’s office led to the relatively quick execution date.
During the punishment phase of his trial, Andrade testified he suffered a blackout as a result of alcohol and heroin intoxication the night Ms. Guevara was attacked.
Ms. Guevara, 28, manager of the Chiquita Fajita Lounge in Corpus Christi, was stabbed at least 14 times with a pocketknife, raped and left on the floor at the club in a pool of blood.