The final words of a death row killer who was executed in front of his wife and family have now been revealed.
Moises Sandoval Mendoza, a 41-year-old from Texas, was killed by lethal injection on Wednesday evening, more than two decades on from his initial crime.
The father of one was convicted back in March 2004 of the brutal murder of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson, and he has spent the last two decades behind bars.
After confessing his crime to a friend, he admitted to investigators that he had repeatedly choked Tolleson, sexually assaulted her and dragged her body to a field, where he choked her again and then stabbed her in the throat.
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He later moved her body to a more remote location and burned it. The victim's five-month-old daughter was later found safely.
While there have been some recent cases of inmates choosing to die by more controversial methods, lethal injection was chosen for Mendoza, and he was joined by his wife, sister and two friends at the time of his death.
The mother of the victim was also present, alongside other relatives and the convicted killer apologised to them in some of his final words before he was injected with the lethal drugs.
He said: "I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle’s life. I’m sorry for that. I know nothing that I could ever say or do would ever make up for that.
"I want you to know that I am sincere. I apologise.”
Mendoza also uttered some final words to his family before the injection in Texas earlier this week.
He added (in Spanish): "I love you, I am with you, I am well and at peace. You know that I’m well, and everything is love.”
Following the injection, which took around 20 minutes to complete, Rachelle's mother spoke from a pre-prepared statement.
She said: “He’s been on death row 20 years. That ended today. He was put to sleep. He felt no pain. I wish I could say the same about my daughter’s death.”
Mendoza's attorney's had made one final request to stop the execution but it went ahead, making him the 13th death row inmate to be killed this year and the third in Texas alone.
James Moorhouse