Carlos Trevino, a 51-year-old death row inmate in Texas, has complained in online writings that people, including his own family, cannot “let it go” over his past crimes. Trevino was sentenced to death in 1997 for the gang rape and murder of 15-year-old Linda Salinas in San Antonio.
Inmate's online complaints
Writing on a website called Wire of Hope, Trevino said: “Are you the black sheep of the family? Have you ever felt as if you just don’t fit in? Have you ever made an error or mistake and people just don’t let it go? You’ve lost friends, and family tolerate you or avoid you, maybe even disowned you. They no longer see any worth or value in you.
“No matter how hard you try to make things right, even if these errors or mistakes have made you a better person, they weaponise your past while you’re trying to escape it. People, even family, look at you and judge you for that one action, and you are only known for that one action. They don’t see anything different about you or the changes you have made. They just see the mistakes you made.
“Regardless if it has been years, you’re always judged for that one thing. It doesn’t matter if you have apologised, made changes in your life, or how much remorse you’ve shown. Even when regret is written across your heart and face, people just don’t see the real you. Welcome to my world.”
Background of the crime
Trevino’s comments come nearly 30 years after his part in the attack on Linda Salinas. She was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death at a park in San Antonio on June 9, 1996, just one month after Trevino was released from prison for a car theft. Police found her body a day after she got into a car with Trevino, who had promised to drive her to a fast-food restaurant but instead drove her to a park where she was assaulted by a group of men.
An autopsy found she died from a stab wound to the neck, a wound inflicted by Trevino, who was also said to have held the victim down while she was being assaulted. Three others were convicted for their involvement, but Trevino received the death sentence.
Execution delays and appeals
Trevino was scheduled to die in 2020, but the death warrant was withdrawn because of the “current Covid-19 conditions in Texas”. It was the third time his death was rescheduled. Over the years, his attorneys have argued that his original trial lawyers failed to present mitigating evidence that he had fetal alcohol syndrome and was both physically and emotionally abused by his mother.
More than 10,000 people have signed a petition to try to stop Trevino being executed. The petition states: “His trial attorney did not investigate potentially mitigating evidence that he suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, due to his mother drinking while she was pregnant. Mr. Trevino weighed four pounds at birth, and has presented symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome throughout his life, greatly impairing his ability to make decisions.”
Trevino is now seeking a connection via Wire of Hope, a site founded by two women who have experienced the justice system as loved ones and penpals of incarcerated individuals. They said they have “seen how isolation can break a person, and how connection can restore hope and growth”.
On his profile, Trevino wrote: “At the age of 51, I have found some answers, but I am left with more questions than answers. If we walk in the same world, I would love to hear from you. Maybe we can find some more answers. We could be there for each other, to lift and build each other up. Maybe heal the brokenness.
“If you are reading this and you are walking in these shoes but decide not to write, please don’t isolate yourself. Search for the light and don’t drown in your past. Keep pushing forward. Keep pushing for the good, and please keep your head up.”
