A Texas man linked to five killings and convicted of fatally stabbing twin 16-year-old girls more than three decades ago is facing execution on Tuesday evening. Garcia Glenn White, a former college football player turned fry cook, was condemned for the December 1989 killings of Annette and Bernette Edwards, along with their mother, Bonita Edwards, in their Houston apartment.
White, now 61 years old, was described as quiet and calm as he was moved to a holding cell near the Texas death chamber. He is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, becoming the sixth inmate put to death in the U.S. in the last 11 days.
Testimony revealed that White went to the Edwards' home to smoke crack with their mother, Bonita, who was also fatally stabbed. When the twin girls emerged from their room, White attacked them after breaking down the locked door of their bedroom. Authorities later tied White to the deaths of a grocery store owner and another woman.
White's lawyers have sought intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution, arguing that he is intellectually disabled and presenting evidence of another person at the crime scene and a cocaine-induced psychotic break during the killings. Despite these claims, lower courts have rejected his petitions for a stay.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied White's request for clemency or a reprieve, leading to his impending execution. The Texas Attorney General's Office stated that White has not provided sufficient evidence to support his intellectual disability claim and that his execution should not be delayed any further.
White's attorneys have emphasized his efforts to better himself during his time in prison, expressing hope for a favorable outcome from the Supreme Court. The case has garnered attention due to the complex legal arguments surrounding White's intellectual capacity and the circumstances of the crimes.
White's impending execution marks the fifth in Texas this year and the 19th in the U.S., highlighting the ongoing debate over capital punishment and the pursuit of justice for the victims of these decades-old crimes.
