[masraum]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5919299.html

Despite calls for delay, Mexican citizen set for execution

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has dealt capital killer Jose Medellin a major setback in his bid to escape the executioner's needle, throwing out his bid for a post-conviction writ of habeas corpus and his motion for a stay.

Medellin, 33, convicted in the 1993 rape-murder of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, still has motions for stays pending with the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

He is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday.

Medellin's attorneys could not be reached for comment Friday.

Medellin, a Mexican national, had filed his appeal based on arguments that Houston police deprived him of his right to contact the Mexican consulate after his arrest. The right is guaranteed by the United Nation's Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, to which the United States is a party.

Last month, the UN's world court ordered Medellin be granted a stay so that a hearing could be held on whether that violation damaged his defense.

Texas authorities responded that Medellin was not informed of his UN rights because he did not identify himself as a Mexican citizen. Thus far, they have resisted pressure from President Bush and other U.S. officials to comply with the world court order.

.....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5919299.html

So, the gist is that 2 girls, 14 and 16, were walking home after a party. They accidentally stumbled upon a drunken gang initiation. They were then gang raped. Afterward the gang leader said that they had to be killed. So the gang strangled them.

Texas has already killed one gang member. I think the rest are either in for a long time or on death row. At least one of them is a Mexican citizen (ie Illegal alien), and now everyone is saying that we can't execute. One the one hand, I'm all for the execution, but at the same time I think this could end up being bad for US citizens abroad. Other countries would think that they had the ok to do whatever they want to US citizens.

What do you guys think?