One step nearer my God to thee

Will it help you understand if you were aware of the fact that the Defendant had lived in the United States since he had been 2 years old?

He was aware of the laws of the United States and of Texas. 

He grew up here.  He will die here for what he did.

Murderer of teen loses bid for stay

By Michelle Mondo - Express-News

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday denied a request to stay the execution of a Mexican national convicted in the bludgeoning death of a San Antonio teen, a case that has become the focus of an international dispute over consular rights.

Humberto Leal Jr., 38, of Monterrey, Mexico, is scheduled to die by injection Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on a separate application for a reprieve. In Texas, Leal's only remaining hope is Gov. Rick Perry, who could choose to stay the execution for 30 days.

Perry hadn't made a decision by Tuesday evening, the governor's spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said in an emailed statement, adding: “That said, if you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws, as in this case, where Leal was convicted of raping and bludgeoning a 16-year-old girl to death.”

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