Clock ticking on child rapist/murderer

[beachblanket]

If the powers that be support justice, a monster is scheduled to pay the price for his horrific deeds in less than three hours.

At 6pm EDT today, Florida death row inmate Mark Dean Schwab is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection.

He was convicted 16 years ago today of raping and murdering the child below, 11-year-old Junny Rios-Martinez:

Schwab's desperate 11th hour attempts at a reprieve are dwindling as I type this. His appeals to State and Regional Federal courts have all been denied. His attorneys engaged in the inevitable hail Mary last night, filing a last gasp appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeal seeks a stay of execution and asks the high court to consider his case.

The problem for him is they already did. As part of their review last year of the Kentucky lethal injection constitutionality case, the Court (which ruled it indeed is constitutional) said that Schwab consequently has no grounds to claim it is cruel or unusual punishment.

So I pray we will see no more legal schenanigans and the execution will go forward as scheduled.

Tick, tick, tick....and then at 6pm...

 

[beachblanket]

Less than two hours to go, and the Supreme Court hasn't said boo.

That may or may not be good news for the convicted rapist /killer. At least one of the Justices has to rule on whether to even review his request for a stay. History suggests whomever the Court delegates that to (I believe there's some sort of schedule used to determine which Justice gets to make the review call) often waits until the last minute to announce their decision, irrespective of what direction it takes.

Also, Junny Rios-Martinez's parents are scheduled to be at the execution.

After 16 long years, they're entitled to that closure.

 

[DawnCt1]

OMG! We were vacationing in WDW when Juni disappeared. It was all over the news then and in the Orlando Sentinal, and I was so taken by horror of him disappearing, that I followed the story when I got back home. The piece of scum that murdered Juni got 5 more years than little Juni had on earth. Thanks for posting that.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We're sure he's guilty...?

I don't know the case, but if so, fry him. But scare him as much as that little boy was scared first.

 

[kerrynic78]

I just saw that it is a go with 5 minutes left.

 

[beachblanket]

The Supreme Court just denied his appeal. God bless the Justice who made that call.

I hope as I type this the needles are being inserted into his stinking flesh.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Sixteen years. It took them sixteen years to get around to this. That kid's parents had to wait sixteen years for this to finally happen. That's just way too long. Either do it or don't do it, but don't say you're going to do it and then take sixteen years to get it done.

My heart breaks for those parents.

 

[kbkids]

Sixteen years. It took them sixteen years to get around to this. That kid's parents had to wait sixteen years for this to finally happen. That's just way too long. Either do it or don't do it, but don't say you're going to do it and then take sixteen years to get it done.

My heart breaks for those parents.

AMEN!! In a case where there's no doubt such as this one - just do it. Total waste of money for it to take this long!

 

[beachblanket]

Justice has been done, execution just ended. Images from the scene:

The victim's sister and parents, just before they left home to go witness the execution:

The execution chamber:

 

[rcraw45425]

Finally some closure for the family.

 

[bigtinkfun]

I remember this case, it was horrific. As much as I have mixed feelings about the DP, there are some people I have no sympathy for when they get pushed off this mortal coil. Schwab is one of them.

I hope Junny's parents and family can reach a level of peace in their lives now that the scumbag's been executed. One can never get closure when a child is murdered, so I've been told, but I pray that they can have peace in their lives. And that their son will rest in peace.

As to which of the Supremes heard his last minute appeal, it depends. Each Justice has jurisdiction over a different part of the country when it comes to hearing these last minute appeals.

 

[lillygator]

thank goodness!

 

[beachblanket]

More details are in on the events yesterday:

Clarence Thomas was the Supreme Court Justice who made the decision to refuse the request to grant a stay of execution.

After he was brought into the execution chamber, Schwab was offered a chance to make a last statement but declined.

The parents of the murder victim -- Vicki Rios and Braulio Martinez - sat in the front row of seats outside the execution chamber, watching the death of the murderer of their child from less than ten feet away.

From start to finish, the entire execution process took 13 minutes. During it, Schwab received three drugs. The first made him unconscious. The second paralyzed him and stopped his breathing, the third stopped his heart. According to one witness, the procedure was "clean, clinical and simple."

When it ended, the dozen of Junny's family members witnessing the execution silently left the viewing room. It had been 17 years, two months and 13 days since their young family member was raped and murdered by the condemned.

Afterwards, Vicki Rios Martinez described her sentiments to the press in very telling fashion, one I hope every single death penalty opponent hears:

"If there is any question that what I just witnessed was cruel and unusual, there should never be a doubt on anyone's mind. We should all be so lucky when it's our turn."