Licho Escamilla fatally shot off-duty Dallas policeman Christopher James on the night of Nov. 25, 2002 after the officer ejected Escamilla and others from a northwest Dallas club following a disturbance.
As Escamilla fled a gunfight with police, he stepped over James, who had fallen to the ground, and shot him several times in the head at close range. He later admitted to killing James in a television interview. Read More ↓
Escamilla's defense team pointed to his troubled upbringing—substance abuse and gang involvement from a young age, as well as domestic abuse by his father and serious criminal conduct by other family members—as mitigating factors during sentencing. An investigation by state habeas attorneys found that jurors were not presented with a complete picture of the extent of Escamilla's upbringing and substance problems, but his appeal was denied.
On Oct. 5, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up his case. On Oct. 12, days before his execution, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously rejected petitions that it recommend that Gov. Greg Abbott grant Escamilla a reprieve or commute his death sentence to life in prison.