The state of Texas has been in the international limelight this week as two executions of "undocumented" criminals have taken place. On Tuesday, August 5, José E. Medellín of Mexico was executed for his participation in the rape, torture, and strangulation murder of two young Houston girls. On Thursday, August 7, Honduran Heliberto Chi was executed for the robbery and murder of his employer in the Arlington area. The White House, Mexican and Honduran representatives, and even the world court in Hague had repeatedly asked Texas authorities to postpone the executions. Thankfully, Governor Rick Perry had the cojones (I used the Spanish word so that relatives of the two convicted criminals would understand) to reject calls from the world community and allow authorities to carry out the two sentences.
Medellin and five other teenaged boys accosted Elizabeth Pena, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 14, as they were heading home. The group raped the girls for an hour, then tortured and strangled them. The girls' corpses were discovered two days later. Five of the six were sentenced to die. Two have already been executed; two more had their sentences commuted to life in prison; the fifth is serving his 40-year sentence in prison.
Chi was employed by Armand Paliotta, the owner of a men's clothing store in Arlington. Chi came back to work one night after hours, claiming he'd left his wallet. When Paliotta opened the door to let him in, Chi brandished a gun and demanded money. He then began firing at Paliotta and two other employees still at the store. Paliotta was killed, a second employee was wounded, and the third hid in clothing racks at the back of the store, calling 911 while Chi called to him to come up to the front of the store. Chi escaped in a vehicle driven by an accomplice and was arrested in California six months later, after being turned in by his pregnant 18-year-old girlfriend for physically abusing her.
Both executions have made international headlines because both defendents claim their rights were violated when they were not informed that they could seek legal assistance from their respective country's consulates. (A 1963 treaty requires foreigners accused of crimes to be given that opportunity.) In Medellin's case, his lawyers went to the Supreme Court for a stay of execution, stating that he would be "deprived of life without due process" if the sentencing was not postponed until Congress had a chance to pass pending legislation requiring a review of similar cases. The Supreme Court decided 5-4 that the possibility of Congressional action was too remote to justify such action.
Mexico opposes the death penalty in the United States (it seems to have no problem with corrupt police officials and drug lords and gangs carrying out executions in Mexico without due process) and has used the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to try to block the executions of Mr. Medellín and 50 other Mexicans in the United States. Twice in the last five years, the International Court of Justice, at the Hague, has said hearings should be held to determine if the 51 trials were fair. Concerned about fallout for Americans abroad, the State Department, the attorney general and the White House all urged Texas to delay the execution. As mentioned above, Governor Perry seems to recognize Texas sovereignty, thank God.
I find it interesting that the lawyers for Medellin and Chi waited until after the trials of their clients were concluded and sentencing complete before claming their clients' rights had been violated. Why didn't they bring this up during the trial? Better yet, if these lawyers are so knowledgeable about international treaty, why didn't they allow their clients the opportunity to visit their country's consulates before the trial ever started? And finally, I note that neither defendent ever claimed he was innocent of the charges; nor has either shown any remorse for what he has done. In a letter he wrote in 1999, Medellin compared himself to the "good guys" in a black-and-white Western movie and claimed his actions were due to "an adolescent choice". That pitiful excuse resulted in the deaths of two innocent girls--and he is concerned about his rights being violated? I wonder if he gave Elizabeth and Jennifer a chance to make sure their rights weren't being violated during their rape and murder! As for Chi, as he was being executed, he asked God to "forgive them". Who? His exectioners? What wrong did they do? Unlike Chi, they weren't ending the life of an innocent man for no reason.
I have to thank Governor Perry for being willing to stand up to both federal and international pressure and let Texas law do what Texas law does. While the world community may wring its hands and continue the debate about whether execution is a deterrent to crime, Texas citizens can breathe easier knowing that there are two fewer degenerates living illegally in their state and wreaking havoc among its law-abiding citizenry. As for the United States, maybe our government will use this as an opportunity to review its policy on illegal immigration and realize that people who break the law to enter our country have no compunction about breaking other laws, increasing penalties against those who enter our country illegally and taking definitive action to protect our borders and our citizens.
