The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed this Wednesday the execution by lethal injection of inmate Ivan Cantú, who spent 22 years on death row and died while maintaining his innocence.
The Hispanic-born prisoner died at 6:47 p.m. local time (00:47 GMT) at the Huntsville prison. In his final words, provided to the media by the department, Cantú again insisted he did not kill James Mosqueda, 27, and Amy Kitchen, 22, the couple linked to his case. He stated, in a message directed to their families, that he never killed James and Amy, and if he had any information, those who faced the danger first would have learned it. The message also conveyed his desire for truth and accountability to be fully acknowledged.
Cantú was sentenced to death in 2001 for the murders that took place in Dallas in 2000, targeting his cousin James Mosqueda and Mosqueda’s fiancée Amy Kitchen. The execution was postponed twice before, first in 2012 and again in 2023. Just days earlier, his defense team requested a new hearing to review his innocence, but the request was denied the day before Cantú’s passing.
In his final statements, Cantú urged the public to understand that he did not kill James and Amy. He thanked his family for their unwavering support, his attorneys, and supporters who publicly engaged with his case, including podcast producer Matt Duff, who took an interest and helped bring wider attention to the matter. Cantú’s family said they were grateful for the efforts to pursue truth and closure through ongoing examination of the evidence.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Cantú’s latest appeal, which argued that new evidence could undermine the verdict by showing false testimony from witnesses and ineffective assistance of counsel during his trial. Legal efforts to halt the execution continued to emerge through supporters and organizations seeking relief, including MoveOn, which filed its request with the Collin County District Attorney and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. A notable public figure, Congressman Joaquin Castro, joined calls to reopen the case, arguing that Texas should not rush execution of someone who might be innocent.
Cantú’s attorney, Gena Bunn, and Matt Duff have asserted that new evidence could challenge the principal witness’s testimony, noting that the witness was deceased. They also allege that deficiencies occurred in Cantú’s defense, such as the failure to obtain DNA or ballistic evidence and the failure to call other witnesses. The petition also notes that Cantú’s original defense attorney admitted guilt at trial against Cantú’s wishes, which led Cantú to attempt to represent himself, a move that was denied at the time. NBC reported these arguments as part of the filing.
The case has drawn public attention and support from a number of celebrities who urged a review of Cantú’s sentence, including high-profile figures who have spoken out about wrongful convictions and the death penalty. While Cantú maintained his innocence to the end, his supporters and legal team continued to argue that the case deserved further scrutiny in light of questions about witness reliability and trial representation.
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