Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
The last words of death row inmate Moises Sandoval Mendoza have been revealed after he was executed by lethal injection for the 2004 murder of a 20-year-old woman.
Mendoza, 40, was pronounced dead at 6:40pm local time at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas on Wednesday (April 23), after he was found guilty of murdering Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson in Farmersville, Texas, more than 20 years ago.
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Tolleson had been at home with her six-month-old daughter, Avery, when Mendoza arrived and let himself in. The two adults then left baby Avery at home while they went to get a pack of cigarettes, and while in Mendoza's car, he began to choke the mom 'for no reason', according to court documents.
He continued to drive the pair to a field near his home, where he sexually assaulted Tolleson and choked her again until he believed she was dead.
Mendoza then left Tolleson's body in the field, where it remained until Mendoza was questioned by police about Tolleson's disappearance. He then moved the body to a more remote area and put it in a 'dug-out pit', where he set it on fire to 'destroy the fingerprints', according to the account Mendoza gave to police.
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Tolleson's body was found by a member of the public, and Mendoza was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Ahead of his execution on Wednesday, Mendoza was given the chance to offer some final words, which he used to give a message to Tolleson's family.
He said: "I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle's life. To Avery ... I robbed you of a mother. 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 I am sincere. I apologize."
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Mendoza also addressed his own family members, saying: "I'm well and at peace. You know that I'm well and everything is love."
According to USA Today, Tolleson was described by her parents, Pam and Mark O'Neil, as being a doting mother to Avery.
During Mendoza's sentencing, Pam told the convicted killer: "She wanted more than anything in life to watch her baby take her first steps, say her first word, and she’ll never get to hear her daughter call her Mommy."
Former Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis added at the sentencing that Mendoza was 'one of the most violent, sadistic men' he'd ever helped convict.
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If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Topics: Crime, Death Row, Texas, True crime
Emily Brown