Texas Executes John Allen Rubio For 2003 Beheading Of 3 Children
Texas on Thursday executed John Allen Rubio, a 46-year-old man convicted of stabbing and beheading three young children in Brownsville in 2003, putting him to death by lethal injection in Huntsville.[1]
Rubio was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. local time, 21 minutes after the drugs began to flow, according to the Associated Press account cited in local coverage. In his final statement, Rubio apologized to his wife's family, said he was "going to be with my kids in a little bit," and added that he was ready "to go to heaven." His execution was the second in the country on Thursday, following Oklahoma's execution of James Pavatt earlier in the day.[1]
Rubio's death sentence stemmed from one of the most notorious child murder cases in recent Texas history, the March 11, 2003 killings of three children in a cramped Brownsville apartment near the US-Mexico border. Prosecutors said Rubio stabbed and decapitated a 3-year-old girl, a 1-year-old boy and a 2-month-old girl, then arranged their bodies and heads in the apartment.[1] Authorities said at the time that Rubio and his common-law wife, Angela Camacho, offered shifting explanations, including claims that the children were possessed and that they were trying to rid them of evil spirits.
A Cameron County jury convicted Rubio of capital murder, and he was ultimately sentenced to death after appellate courts ordered and upheld retrials that rejected his claims of insanity and mental illness as grounds to spare his life. Camacho, who prosecutors said participated in the killings but was portrayed as being under Rubio's sway, pleaded guilty and received a life sentence, avoiding the death penalty.[1]
The apartment building where the murders occurred was later demolished by the city, and the site has been turned into a small community park and garden, a symbolic effort by local officials and residents to reclaim a place long associated with horror and grief.[1] As Rubio's execution approached, the case again stirred painful memories in Brownsville while also drawing attention to the pace of executions in Texas and to the fate of his co-defendant, who will spend the rest of her life in prison.
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📌 Key Facts
- John Allen Rubio, 46, was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
- Rubio was convicted of stabbing and beheading three children in Brownsville on March 11, 2003: a 3‑year‑old girl, a 1‑year‑old boy, and a 2‑month‑old girl.
- He was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. local time, 21 minutes after the injection began, according to the Associated Press.
- In his last words, Rubio apologized to his wife's family and said he was "going to be with my kids in a little bit" and was ready "to go to heaven."
- Co‑defendant Angela Camacho pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence for her role in the children's deaths.
- The apartment where the murders occurred has been demolished and replaced by a community park and garden.
- Rubio's execution was the second U.S. execution that day, following Oklahoma's execution of James Pavatt.
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