The State of Texas executed death row inmate Ivan Cantu on Wednesday evening, a man who spent over two decades proclaiming his innocence in the brutal murders of his cousin and his cousin's fiancée.
Cantu, 50, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6:47pm local time. His final meal was a last-minute request for two slices of pepperoni pizza.
'I'm Innocent': The Final Statement
In a chilling and defiant final statement, Cantu addressed the witnesses gathered to watch him die. "I just want to say I'm innocent," he stated calmly. "I never killed anybody. I never killed James Mosser or Amy Kitchen. Y'all are killing an innocent man."
As the powerful sedative pentobarbital began to flow, his final words were a simple, heartbreaking plea to his family: "To my family, I appreciate y'all. God bless y'all. Keep your heads up."
A Case Mired in Doubt
Cantu was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2000 murders of his cousin, James Mosser, 27, and Mosser's fiancée, Amy Kitchen, 22. The prosecution's case alleged the motive was robbery, claiming Cantu wanted Mosser's jewellery and BMW car.
However, the conviction has long been contested. Supporters, including a former prosecutor and a juror from his original trial, pointed to potentially fabricated evidence, unreliable witness testimony, and the recanted statement of his former girlfriend, who was the key witness for the prosecution.
Despite numerous appeals and a high-profile campaign for clemency, which gained the support of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously refused to grant a reprieve or commute his sentence to life in prison.
A Family's Anguish and a Brother's Crusade
The execution has left a complex legacy of grief. While the family of one victim believes justice was served, Cantu's own family and his brother, who tirelessly campaigned for him, are left with the agony of what they believe is a profound miscarriage of justice.
The haunting echo of Ivan Cantu's final proclamation—"I'm innocent"—now lingers over a case that continues to raise serious questions about the finality of the death penalty in America.
