Texas Executes Man for 2013 Stabbing Deaths

Cedric Ricks, a 51-year-old man from north Texas, was executed on Wednesday for the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend Roxann Sanchez and her eight-year-old son Anthony Figueroa in May 2013. The execution took place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, about 70 miles north of Houston.

Ricks was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT after receiving a lethal injection of pentobarbital. His final words were directed to seven relatives of his victims who watched from behind a glass window inside the prison. Ricks apologized profusely, expressing hope that they could one day find forgiveness.

Ricks addressed Marcus Figueroa, Sanchez’s 12-year-old son who survived the attack with multiple stab wounds and was present during the execution. "I always thought about you, and I'm sorry that I took your mom and your brother away," Ricks said. "I hate that you had to experience that... I'm truly sorry for what I've done."

Ricks' attorneys had argued prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race, citing notes from the jury selection process obtained in 2021. However, the Texas Attorney General’s office maintained that court records showed the prosecution's jury selection decisions were "race neutral" and lower courts had already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

Prosecutors stated that Ricks and Sanchez were arguing when her two sons attempted to intervene. Ricks grabbed a kitchen knife, stabbed Sanchez multiple times, and then turned the weapon on the boys. Marcus Figueroa was stabbed 25 times but survived after pretending to be dead until Ricks left the apartment.

Ricks did not harm his own nine-month-old son Isaiah during the attack. He fled in Sanchez’s car and called family members to confess before being arrested in Oklahoma. During his trial, Ricks testified that he struggled with anger issues and claimed he had been defending himself after the boys came to their mother’s aid.

The US Supreme Court rejected Ricks’ final appeal without comment on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request for clemency or a temporary reprieve.