Texas Death Row Inmate Apologizes in Final Words Before Execution
‘FOR TAKING HIM AWAY’
Wesley Ruiz did not look at the family and friends of the Dallas police officer he was convicted of fatally shooting in 2007 as he was strapped to a gurney and executed by lethal injection in Texas Wednesday. As the mother and sister of Senior Corporal Mark Nix watched on, however, he did have a final message. “I would like to apologize to Mark and the Nix family for taking him away from you,” Ruiz said, according to the Associated Press. “I hope this brings you closure.” The 43-year-old, convicted of the shooting which occurred during a high-speed chase in 2007, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. As he continued his final words, he urged his children to “stand tall and continue to make me proud,” before proclaiming: “Don’t worry about me. I’m ready to fly. All right warden, I’m ready to ride.” The Associated Press reported that as the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital took hold, Ruiz “took two quick breaths, then began snoring. His 11th snore was his last and there was no further movement.” He was pronounced dead at 6:41 p.m., 22 minutes after the injection.