Edgar Tamayo Arias

The Ellis Unit housed the State of Texas death row for men until mid-1999.
Allan B. Polunsky Unit houses the State of Texas death row for men.
Huntsville Unit, where Tamayo was put to death

Edgar Tamayo Arias (July 22, 1967[1]-January 22, 2014[2]) was a Mexican national sentenced to death in Texas for killing a police officer.[3]

His victim, 24-year old Houston Police Department (HPD) officer Guy P. Gaddis,[3] was married and had served with HPD for two years.[4]

History

On January 31, 1994, Tamayo shot Gaddis outside of the Topaz nightclub in Southwest Houston. Gaddis apprehended Tamayo, who had robbed another person, after the robbery victim contacted Gaddis and told him that Tamayo and an accomplice were the perpetrators. However Tamayo had a hidden gun and used it to kill Gaddis. During the arrest police did not inform Tamayo that he could contact the Mexican consulate. Ten days before the trial began the Mexican government was notified of the case.[3]

Tamayo's attorneys were Sandra Babcock and Maurie Levin.[4]

Tamayo was received into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system on November 18, 1994.[1] Tamayo was initially located in the Ellis Unit, but was transferred to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit (formerly the Terrell Unit) in 1999.[5]

John Kerry, the Secretary of State of the United States, and officials from the government of Mexico had asked for a hearing of Tamayo's case, regarding whether the lack of timely notification of the consulate affected his case, after an international court ruled in 2004 that any prisoner who had his or her rights to contact a consulate should have a hearing. The Office of the Attorney General of Texas stated that Tamayo opted not to have such a review.[3]

Ultimately Tamayo was executed by lethal injection at Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas. He was 46 at the time of his death.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Edgar Arias Tamayo." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on April 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Last Words Edgar Tamayo." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on April 21, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Turner, Allan. "Mexican man executed for HPD officer's death." Houston Chronicle. Thursday January 23, 2014. Retrieved on April 21, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Hennessy-Fiske, Molly. "Texas executes Mexican citizen who killed police officer." Los Angeles Times. January 22, 2014. Retrieved on April 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Death Row Facts." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on February 4, 2016.

External links

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