The execution at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, Texas was delayed by three hours while the Supreme Court considered and rejecteda last-minute appeal in the case of Edgar Tamayo.
The 46-year-old was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday night for the shooting of Houston police officer Guy Gaddis in 1994. Gaddis was 24.
The Mexican government argued that Tamayo’s case was compromised from the start because he wasn’t informed he could get legal help from the Mexican consulate after his arrest. An international agreement to which the United States is a signatory — the Vienna Convention — obligates authorities to inform suspects they are eligible for consular assistance.
Attorneys also argued that Tamayo was mentally impaired, making him ineligible for the death penalty.