Texas Executes Mexican National After Failed Appeal

Edgar Tamayo was arrested 20 years ago for killing a police officer

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A Mexican national was executed in Texas Wednesday night following two failed appeals to the Supreme Court. Edgar Tamayo, 46, was placed on death row after being convicted of killing a police officer two decades ago.

The Supreme Court rejected two separate appeals from Tamayo’s lawyers late Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. One argued that Tamayo was mentally impaired and thus ineligible for execution, while another said he wasn’t told at the time of his arrest that he could seek legal help from his home country’s consulate.

The Mexican government and the U.S. State Department both unsuccessfully pressured Texas authorities to spare Tamayo’s life.

Tamayo was arrested in 1994 for the killing of Houston Police Department officer Guy Gaddis. Gaddis was transporting Tamayo from a robbery, when, according to court evidence, Tamayo shot Gaddis three times with a concealed weapon, causing the car to crash. Tamayo fled the car but was then quickly captured.

[AP]