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Texas kills

By cdw

Texas tonight killed Joseph Ries: Joseph Ries expressed love to friends who watched through a death chamber window and urged them to stay strong because “Jesus is coming back soon.” Looking toward another window, he told two daughters of his victim he was “really sorry for what I’ve done.” Ries said he prayed that they would find peace through God. As the lethal drugs began flowing, he started to sing a hymn. “Our God is an awesome God,” he sang. “Lord I lift your name on high.” He then slipped into unconsciousness and was pronounced dead seven minutes later at 6:17 p.m. CDT. Ries, 29, was executed for fatally shooting Robert Ratliff after breaking into the 64-year-old’s rural Hopkins County home in 1999...continue to full post

Full post as published by Capital Defense Weekly on October 21, 2008 (boomark / email).