HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the execution of a Texas inmate condemned for fatally stabbing his two stepsons (all times local):
6:55 p.m.
A Texas death row inmate who claimed he was intellectually disabled has been executed for fatally stabbing his two stepsons during a 2007 attack in their Dallas home that also killed his wife.
Robert Sparks received a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
The 45-year-old Sparks was condemned for the slayings of 9-year-old Harold Sublet and 10-year-old Raekwon Agnew.
Efforts by Sparks' attorneys to stop his execution on various claims, including that he was intellectually disabled and allegations his jury was influenced by a bailiff who wore a tie showing his support of the death penalty, were turned down by the appeals court.
Sparks was the 16th inmate put to death this year in the U.S. and the seventh in Texas.
___
5:15 p.m.
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to halt the scheduled execution of a Texas inmate who says he's intellectually disabled.
Robert Sparks was put on death row for fatally stabbing his two stepsons during a 2007 attack in their Dallas home that also killed his wife.
Sparks is set to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening for the slayings of 9-year-old Harold Sublet and 10-year-old Raekwon Agnew.
He had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, arguing two legal issues, including whether his jury was influenced by a bailiff who wore a tie showing his support of the death penalty.
Sparks had previously been unsuccessful on appeals to stop his execution that focused on claims he's intellectually disabled.
___
12 a.m.
A Texas inmate who says he's intellectually disabled is facing execution for fatally stabbing his two stepsons during a 2007 attack in their North Texas home that also killed his wife.
Robert Sparks is set to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening for the slayings of 9-year-old Harold Sublet and 10-year-old Raekwon Agnew in their Dallas home.
Appeals by Sparks' attorneys to stop his execution on claims he's intellectually disabled have been turned down by lower courts.
Sparks' remaining appeal, before the U.S. Supreme Court, focuses on other legal issues, including whether his jury was influenced by a bailiff who wore a tie showing his support of the death penalty.
If the execution happens, it would be the 16th in the U.S. and the seventh in Texas this year.
