Michael Anthony Rodriguez

Michael Anthony Rodriguez (October 29, 1962 - August 14, 2008) was one of the infamous Texas Seven, a group of seven convicted felons who collectively escaped from the John Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas on December 13, 2000.

On Christmas Eve, while robbing an Irving, Texas Oshman's sporting goods store, the Texas Seven severely wounded Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins during a shootout, then pulled him from his vehicle and shot him again in the head and back at close range. They then climbed into their getaway vehicle and ran over him, leaving him for dead. The gang, subject of a nationwide manhunt, finally was caught a month later in Colorado after a viewer's tip to [http://www.amw.com/Fugitives/brief.cfm?id=25079 "America's Most Wanted"] .

Michael Anthony Rodriguez admitted pulling the officer from his patrol car.

Rodriguez escaped while serving a life term for hiring a hit man to kill his wife, Theresa, 29, to collect on her $250,000 life insurance policy. She was gunned down in 1992 getting out of her car outside their San Antonio home. The trigger man, Rolando Ruiz, is on death row.

As of November 2007, Michael Rodriguez had requested that all appeals on his behalf be discontinued. Due to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to review the death penalty as currently enacted in most states (lethal injection), Rodriguez was not given an execution date.

However, with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on April 16, 2008 that essentially allowed executions to be scheduled, Rodriguezwas assigned an execution date of August 14, 2008. [ [http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/scheduledexecutions.htm Texas Department of Criminal Justice ] ] Rodriguez was executed by lethal injection on August 14, 2008.

Michael Rodriguez's final statement was [ [http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080814_mo_statement.4975e015.html Dallas/Forth Worth Channel 8] ] :

“Yes, I do. I know this in no way makes up for all the pain and suffering I gave you. I am so, so sorry. My punishment is nothing compared to the pain and suffering I have caused. I hope that someday you can find peace. I am not strong enough to ask forgiveness because I don’t know if I am worthy. I realize what I’ve done to you and the pain I’ve given. Please Lord forgive me. I have done some horrible things. I ask the Lord to please forgive me. I have gained nothing, but just brought sorrow and pain to the wonderful people. I am sorry - so, so sorry. To the Sanchez family who showed me love and to the Hawkins family, I am sorry. I know I have affected them for so long. Please forgive me. Irene [his spiritual advisor] , I want to thank you for being with me on Death Row and walking with me and helping me find Christ’s love. These last few steps I must walk alone. Thank you and thank your husband, Jack. I’ll be waiting for you. I am so sorry. To these families, I ask forgiveness. Father God, I ask you, too, for your forgiveness. I am ready to go Lord. Thank you. I am ready to go."

He began to sing the following few words before the drugs took effect: "My Jesus, my savior there is none like you. All of my days I want to praise, let every breath. Shout to the Lord. Let us sing."

Seven minutes later, at 6:20 p.m. CDT, he was pronounced dead. [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5944689.html]

He was the eighth convicted killer executed in 2008, in the nation's busiest capital punishment state; and the fourth in August 2008. He was the first of the six surviving "Texas 7" band to be put to death.

References

External links

* "America's Most Wanted", August 14, 2008 (http://www.amw.com/Fugitives/brief.cfm?id=25079)
* "Court TV", December 18, 2007 (http://www.courttv.com/trials/texas7/011502_ctv.html)
* [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,404187,00.html] Article about his execution

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