Huntsville, Texas: A Texas man convicted for the 1989 murders of teenage twin sisters was executed Tuesday evening, marking the state’s sixth execution in less than two weeks. Garcia White, 61, received lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6:56 p.m. local time. Prior to his execution, White expressed remorse for the crimes he committed decades ago.
In December 1989, White, a former high school football player, fatally stabbed 16-year-olds Annette and Bernette Edwards. The murders occurred shortly after he killed their mother, Bonita Edwards, following an argument at their home in Houston. Although White confessed to killing Bonita Edwards and to two other murders in later years, he was not tried for those crimes.
On the eve of his execution, White’s attorneys made a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming their client was intellectually disabled and therefore should be exempt from the death penalty. However, the appeal was rejected, clearing the way for the execution to proceed.
During his final moments, White addressed the Edwards family directly. “I would like to apologize for all the wrong I have done, and for pain I’ve caused to the Edwards family,” he stated, his words captured in a statement released by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “I regret, I apologize, and I pray that you can find peace.”
Texas, a state with one of the highest execution rates in the country, has already carried out four other executions this year. The schedule includes another inmate, Robert Roberson, who faces execution on October 17. Roberson’s case has drawn significant attention and support, including from lawmakers, medical professionals, and acclaimed author John Grisham, due to concerns about the validity of his guilty verdict.
Roberson, 57, was convicted in a case involving the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002. She died from severe head trauma, which at the time was attributed to shaken baby syndrome—a diagnosis that has since been challenged by several medical experts. These experts have suggested that Nikki’s death was actually caused by severe pneumonia, exacerbated by an incorrect medical prescription.
Further complicating Roberson’s case is his autism diagnosis, which was not identified until 2016. His lawyers argue that his condition was misunderstood as indifference toward his daughter’s death, which significantly influenced his conviction.
These recent executions come at a time when the national conversation around the death penalty continues to intensify. Currently, 23 states have abolished capital punishment, and six others have declared moratoriums on executions. This ongoing debate highlights the complex and often contentious nature of capital punishment in the United States, reflecting deep divisions about the balance between justice and humanity.