/ 31 January 2007

Texas executes third convict this month

Texas executed a man by lethal injection on Tuesday for strangling his wife and her mother.

Christopher Swift, a 31-year-old labourer, was the third inmate put to death since January 1 in Texas, which has the highest execution rate in the United States. In a brief summary of the murders, which took place in 2003, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Swift had strangled his wife and battered her in the face. He also throttled his mother-in-law to death. Swift made no final statement.

For his last meal, he requested a medium-well done steak with sauce, a salad with ranch dressing, cheddar cheese and bacon bits, a baked potato with sour cream, two slices of apple pie, three large rolls, two Cokes and a cup of coffee.

Swift was the 382nd person put to death in Texas since it restored capital punishment in 1982. The state has 10 more executions scheduled for 2007. – Reuters