Rubén Gutiérrez was hours away from receiving the death penalty (PHOTOS)

Rubén Gutiérrez Facing Final Hours Before Execution in Texas

The Hispanic Man Was Accused of Stabbing an Elderly Woman

Two Robbery Accomplices Pointed to Him as the Perpetrator

Rubén Gutiérrez was set to enter the execution chamber on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Texas for the murder of an elderly woman.

The 47-year-old’s death sentence has been postponed several times at the last minute due to various legal appeals.

Gutiérrez, a Buddhist, has had his execution delayed because Texas has not allowed him a spiritual advisor according to his faith.

Gutiérrez was initially scheduled for execution on October 27, 2021, but his lawyers managed to halt the sentence.

Counting Down the Minutes to Rubén Gutiérrez‘s Execution

Rubén Gutiérrez Death / PHOTO: Texas Department of Criminal Justice

After numerous legal twists and turns, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) announced that Gutiérrez’s execution will proceed.

At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Rubén Gutiérrez was expected to walk down Death Row to face his fate in Texas.

As of writing this story, his lawyers were still engaged in a legal battle in Cameron County to suspend the sentence.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been petitioned by Gutiérrez’s attorneys for intervention on behalf of their client.

Can Rubén Gutiérrez’s Lawyers Delay the Execution Again?

As of Monday, July 15, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court had not made an official statement regarding the clemency request forRubén Gutiérrez.

Rubén Gutiérrez was sentenced to death in 1998, accused of stabbing 85-year-old Escolástica Harrison.

At the time, 21-year-old Gutiérrez was accused of robbing the elderly woman’s home to steal money she kept in a safe.

Gutiérrez has maintained his innocence since his arrest, claiming that the elderly woman’s murderers were his robbery accomplices, René García and Pedro Garza.

The Elderly Victim Was Brutally Beaten and Stabbed

The Elderly Victim Was Brutally Beaten and Stabbed Escolástica Harrison / PHOTO: Special for MundoNOW for Journalistic Purposes

René García and Pedro Garza received life sentences in Texas and both testified in their respective trials that they did not stab the elderly woman.

According to case documents reviewed by MundoNOW, Harrison’s nephew discovered her body on the morning of September 6, 1998.

The nephew, whose identity is protected, sometimes stayed with her to keep her company due to her age and had a key to the house.

He was surprised to find the door open, which was unusual as Harrison always made sure to lock it.

The Brutal Crime Was Motivated by Theft of Thousands of Dollars

The nephew found his aunt dead in a pool of blood. At that moment, Rubén Gutiérrez’s name was unknown to the authorities.

He called the Brownsville Police Department (BPD), who began their investigation.

The autopsy revealed that Harrison had been beaten in various parts of her body and stabbed at least twelve times.

Upon inspecting the house, police discovered that the safe was open and $600,000 was missing.

Execution Chamber Ready for Rubén Gutiérrez

photo: Brownsville Police Department

The scene was so horrific that some officers had to leave the house as they could not bear to see the brutality.

Fingerprint and DNA evidence led police to identify two low-level thieves connected to the crime.

BPD officers arrested García and Garza, who then implicated Rubén Gutiérrez in the murder.

Rubén Gutiérrez has spent more of his life in prison than out, and he now faces what could be the final hours of his life.

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photo: MundoNOW