Update: The State of Texas executed Moises Mendoza by lethal injection April 23. From the gurney, he apologized individually to Rachelle Tolleson’s family members. “I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle’s life,” he said.
Come Wednesday, Moises Mendoza is scheduled to be the third person executed by the State of Texas this year. The 41-year-old has spent half of his life on death row.
In 2005, Mendoza was convicted of the murder, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual assault of 20-year-old Rachelle Tolleson and sentenced to die by a Collin County jury. He’s one of 16 people the North Texas county has sent to death row since the 1970s. Prosecutors sought an execution date last year, and a judge signed the order in November.
