John Balentine says final words before Texas execution
A man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas home more than 25 years ago was executed on Wednesday.
John Balentine, 54, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, for the January 1998 shooting deaths of Edward Mark Caylor, 17, Kai Brooke Geyer, 15, and Steven Watson, 15, at a home in Amarillo.The Associated Press reported that Balentine appeared jovial as witnesses were entering the death chamber, asking if someone standing near the gurney could remove the sheet covering the lower two-thirds of his body"and massage my feet" before chuckling.
After a brief prayer from a spiritual adviser who held Balentine's left foot with his right hand, Balentine gave a short statement. "Yes ma'am, I want to thank y'all. I love y'all for supporting me. I want to apologize for the wrong I did to y'all. Forgive me, I'm ready ma'am," he said, according to a transcript provided toThe AP reported that he turned his head to look through a window at seven relatives of his three victims—including all three of their mothers—and apologized, saying:"I hope you can find in your heart to forgive me.
Balentine took two breaths as the lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing through intravenous needles in his arms, snored twice, yawned and began snoring again loudly. The snores became quieter, then stopped.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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