Huntsville, Texas: A Texas man was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening for the murders of teenage twin sisters, making him the sixth death row inmate in the United States to be executed in the past 12 days. Garcia White, 61, was pronounced dead at 6:56 pm local time at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
White, a former high school football star, was convicted in 1996 for stabbing Annette and Bernette Edwards to death in December 1989. The mother of the girls, Bonita Edwards, was also killed by White following an argument at their Houston home.
Despite confessing to two other murders, White was only tried for the deaths of the Edwards sisters. His lawyers made a last-minute attempt to halt the execution by arguing that he was intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty.
Before his execution, White apologized to the victims’ family, expressing regret for the pain he caused. This year, Texas has carried out multiple executions at the Huntsville state penitentiary, with Robert Roberson, another inmate scheduled to be executed on October 17.
Roberson, 57, was convicted of the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002. His lawyers and advocates have disputed the shaken baby syndrome diagnosis, stating that severe pneumonia, aggravated by incorrect medication, was the actual cause of death.
The abolishment of the death penalty in 23 out of 50 US states reflects a growing trend towards reconsideration of capital punishment. States like Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee have implemented moratoriums, signaling a shift in attitudes towards executing inmates.
As the debate over the death penalty continues, advocates, lawmakers, and medical experts are closely monitoring cases like Roberson’s, highlighting the complexities and controversies surrounding capital punishment in the United States. With differing perspectives on the ethical and legal implications, the future of the death penalty remains a contentious issue in American society.
