Vaughn Ross
Vaughn Ross, 41, was from St. Louis and had come to Texas Tech for graduate work in architecture. The State of Texas executed him by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville on July 18, 2013, and he was pronounced dead 22 minutes after the pentobarbital was injected. Before the execution, he told those present that he loved them, thanked them for their support, urged them to stay strong, and said he did not fear death. His lawyers argued that his trial attorneys had not presented mitigating evidence that might have persuaded jurors to spare his life, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal to block the execution less than an hour before it was carried out.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His lawyers argued that trial attorneys did not present mitigating evidence that might have persuaded jurors to spare his life.
Reported by: Texas Department of Criminal Justice (the agency that held him); news reports.