Manuel Vasquez Execution - A Mexican mafia hit man, who was convicted for the murder of a 51-year-old woman in San Antonio in the nineties, has been executed by the State of Texas on Wednesday night.
Manuel Vasquez, 46, was given a lethal dosage of pentobarbital at about 6:20 p.m., and about 17 minutes later, he was pronounced dead. Reports indicate that Vasquez's sister, as well as a female friend and the sister of the victim were all present during his execution.
Prior to his death, Vasquez said "I love you" to his family and friends. He also said "Thank you, Lord for your mercy and unconditional love. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."
Prosecutors say Vasquez and 2 other accomplices attacked Juanita Ybarra and her boyfriend Moses Bazan in a San Antonio motel room in March 1998. Ybarra, who was an illegal drug dealer, is believed to have been attacked because she refused to pay the street tax levied by Vasquez's boss Rene Munoz. Munoz, who has long been listed as 'wanted' by the State of Texas, was arrested in 2012.
Vasquez, who has a history of violence, was sentenced in 1999 after the testimonies of his accomplices in the crime implicated him. Reports indicate that Vasquez strangled Ybarra with a telephone wire after him and his friends knocked her boyfriend unconscious. His two accomplices are reportedly currently spending time behind bars.
Vasquez is the fourth person to be executed by the State of Texas this year. With more executions lined up, and the state's supply of pentobarbital virtually finished, pundits are speculating on how authorities would choose to carry out death sentences on inmates.
