A South Texas man convicted in the 2003 murders of three young children he helped raise was executed Thursday evening, bringing an end to nearly 23 years of legal proceedings.
John Allen Rubio, 46, of Brownsville, was put to death by lethal injection at a state prison in Huntsville, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Rubio was convicted of stabbing and beheading Julissa Quezada, 3; John Esteban Rubio, 1; and Mary Jane Rubio, 2 months old. He was prosecuted alongside his common-law wife, Angela Camacho.
The AP reported that Rubio was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m., 21 minutes after the lethal injection began.
A Texas prison is shown behind a fence and barbed wire on Jan. 22, 2025. John Allen Rubio was executed in Texas on Nov. 12, 2026. (Cecile Clocheret/AFP via Getty Images; Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)
The execution was scheduled for 6 p.m. and proceeded without complications.
In his final statement, Rubio thanked his friends and family for their “love and understanding.” He also said he was “not the same person I once was” and expressed his love for his wife, the AP reported.
“I want to say I’m sorry to my wife’s family,” Rubio said. “I can’t change the past, but I can tell you my life is going to be over. But that’s not going to make you happy.
“I’m going to be with my kids in a little bit,” he continued. “I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my lord and savior.”
John Allen Rubio was convicted of killing three young children in 2003 and sentenced to death. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice )
Rubio’s execution closed a case that began on March 11, 2003, when he and Camacho killed the three children inside a windowless apartment.
Court records indicate Rubio was not the biological father of the two older children, but he had assumed a parental role in their lives, the outlet reported.
Before the killings, Rubio reportedly claimed the children were possessed and described himself as the “chosen one” who was destined to save the world.
Rubio pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity at one point. Defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, while experts for the prosecution disputed that assessment.
His lawyers also described a severely troubled childhood, pointing to violence, dysfunctional parents, drug use and prostitution as experiences that hindered his development, the AP reported.
Camacho pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence for her role in the killings, according to reports.
The apartment building where the children died was later demolished. The site has since been converted into a community park and garden, according to the AP.
This image from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows James Pavatt in February 2023. Pavatt was executed several hours before Rubio received a lethal injection. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network; Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)
Rubio’s death was the second of two executions carried out in the United States on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Oklahoma executed James Pavatt, 73, by lethal injection. Pavatt was convicted of planning and carrying out the 2001 murder of his partner’s estranged husband.