Ricks was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, 11 March, for the fatal stabbing of his late girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her son, Anthony Figueroa, at their Dallas-Fort Worth apartment in May 2013. His official time of death was 6:55 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Figueroa, who was only 12 at the time of the incident, faked his death to survive, the Associated Press reported.
Before his final moments, the death row inmate apologised to Sanchez's family members who were present to witness his execution. Marcus was among those present, showing no emotion despite Ricks' emotional apology.
'I want to say that I'm sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y'all,' Ricks said. 'I can't imagine the pain it has caused you. I'm glad to be able to speak to you face to face,' he added.
Carrying the scars of Ricks' attack on him in 2013, it was understandable why Figueroa showed no mercy. Aware of this, the 51-year-old aired his side and shared that he regrets having taken the life of his partner and stepson that day.
'I hate that you had to experience that, I just can't imagine, but I'm truly sorry for what I've done, and I wish y'all peace and joy as much as you can but I'm sorry, that's all I can say,' Ricks said to Figueroa.
What Led to the Violent End of Roxann Sanchez
Before the brutal murders were carried out, it reportedly stemmed from an argument between Ricks and Sanchez. Anthony and Marcus tried to calm down Ricks but the 51-year-old was too strong. Cedric proceeded to punch Roxann before heading to the kitchen to grab a knife.
The 51-year-old would head to the kitchen, grab a knife and proceed to stab Roxann multiple times according to court records in a report by USA Today. Marcus ran to hide in his closet to call the police. Anthony was not so fortunate and was next stabbed by Cedric after his mother.
Ricks continued to look for Marcus and eventually found him, stabbing him multiple times. Figueroa detailed what happened to him at the time, according to an archived story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
'He held my head down with one hand and stabbed me with the other hand,' Figueroa said. 'He stabbed me a bunch of times. He didn't say anything.'
Aside from Figueroa, the only other survivor was Ricks' 9-month-old son Isaiah. After returning the knife to the kitchen, showering and packing some clothes. He would put Isaiah in a crib before getting his stuff and fleeing the apartment. He was eventually arrested in Oklahoma.
Before the stabbing incident, Ricks had already appeared before court for a previous assault on Sanchez. He admitted that he had anger management issues, something he confessed when he stood trial.
Growing List of Recent Death Row Executions
The execution of Ricks makes him the second person to be put to death in Texas this year. Moreover, he is the sixth person to be executed in the country.
Coincidentally, another inmate who was scheduled for execution was Charles 'Sonny' Burton. As previously reported here on IBT UK, he was one of six men involved in a 1991 robbery case in Talladega. However, that case worsened with the killing of a customer, Doug Battle.
Burton was outside when the shooting happened. It was Derrick DeBruce who actually shot the 34-year-old but a legal doctrine known as felony murder allowed prosecutors to treat anyone involved in the crime as responsible for the murder.
However, that all changed on Monday, 9 March, after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey granted Burton clemency. Because of this, Charles will instead be serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Associated Pressreported.
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