Topics: US News, Crime, True crime
Texas death row inmate Richard Lee Tabler reflected on his 'actions' to relatives of two people he killed moments before being executed by lethal injection.
On Thanksgiving in 2004, Mohammed-Amine Rahmouni, 28, and Haitham Zayed, 25 were fatally shot by Richard Lee Tabler in a remote area near Killeen, Texas.
And yesterday (February 13), Tabler, now 46, was executed by lethal injection at Huntsville's state penitentiary, directing some of his final words to the families of the two victims as they stood watching the execution from a window.
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Tabler worked at TeaZers - a strip club managed by Rahmouni - however, he was later banned from the establishment.
Police state Tabler got a friend involved and lured Rahmouni and Zayed out, before shooting them while they were in a car before dragging Rahmouni out and shooting him again, getting his friend to record him doing so.
Tabler confessed to the murders and later also confessed to killing two girls who worked at the club - Tiffany Dotson, 18, and Amanda Benefield, 16 - out of fear they would reveal he had killed Rahmouni and Zayed. However, he later denied killing the girls and was ultimately never tried in connection to their deaths.
Found guilty in the murders of Rahmouni and Zayed, Tabler was handed the death sentence. He repeatedly appealed his sentence, CBS News reports, but then ordered the courts to drop his appeal and for him to be put to death.
It was questioned whether Tabler was of sound mind given he attempted suicide twice while in prison, however, after what would be his final execution date was set, he wrote to the state Court of Criminal Appeals on December 9 last year: "Petitioner has spent the last twenty years in the Courts, and see's no point in wasting this Court's time, nor anyone else's."
During his execution yesterday, Tabler is reported as directing part of his final words towards the victims' families while strapped to the death chamber gurney, stating: "There is not a day that goes by that I don’t regret my actions."
He continued: "I had no right to take your loved ones from you, and I ask and pray, hope and pray, that one day you find it in your hearts to forgive me for those actions.
"No amount of my apologies will ever return them to you."
Tabler also thanked prison officials for giving him 'the opportunity to show [them] that [he] can change and become a better man and rehabilitate'.
He also expressed his love for his family and friends before apologizing repeatedly as the drugs began to be administered - his time of death recorded as 6:38 p.m. CST.
Senior counsel at the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project, Claudia Van Wyk, said in a statement ahead of Tabler's execution: "Today, Texas plans to execute a man who spent the last two decades proving his capacity for growth, remorse, and redemption.
"Those who know Richard know that he is not the same person who was sentenced to death – he has transformed into a mentor and source of support for those around him.
"Richard has used his time on death row to reflect, create, and better himself. We are deeply saddened that Richard will be denied the chance to continue his growth and serve as a mentor to others. He will be missed by many, both inside and outside of prison, and our thoughts are with his loved ones."
During Tabler's execution, Dotson's father, George, and godfather, Tom Newton, were present.
Newton voiced: "Today is for Tiffany. And this is justice."
