Medellin set to die Tuesday for Ertman-Peña killings

[Mugu]

By ALLAN TURNER, Houston Chronicle

"Texas. It's like a whole other country."

Coined to promote tourism, that wry verbal wink at the state's mythic image has assumed a literal meaning as Texas finds itself in defiance of the United Nations, the Organization of American States and national leaders in its planned Tuesday execution of Mexican citizen Jose Medellin.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court or Gov. Rick Perry acts in his favor, Medellin, 33, will die for the 1993 rape-strangulation of two teenage Houston girls, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña.

Jennifer's father, Randy Ertman, dismissed international opposition to the execution.

"It's just a last-ditch effort to keep the scumbag breathing," Ertman said. "He never should have been breathing in the first place. I don't care, I really don't care what anyone thinks about this except Texas. I love Texas. Texas is in my blood."



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5922356.html">Complete article

[TexasObserver]

1. I oppose the death penalty, but that guy is a world class scumbag

I think there will be a backlash from Mexico and other nations over this execution, however.