Texas triple murderer uses last words before execution to send message to death row inmates
A man convicted of murdering three people in their apartment while searching for drugs to steal was executed in Texas on Wednesday evening, a week after his accomplice was put to death for the same killings.
Ker'Sean Ramey, 41, died by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m. CDT, The Associated Press reported.
In the execution chamber, a prison chaplain rested his hand on Ramey's shoulder before leading him in a brief prayer. The warden then asked Ramey if he had any last words, the AP reported.
Ramey praised God and thanked his friends, family and fellow death row inmates, whom he called his brothers.
"To the brothers on Texas death row that grew up with me, that poured into me and showed what it means to be a man, because I came in young, and didn’t understand what manhood was... to you brothers... I greatly appreciate you," Ramey said moments before the injection was prepared.
As the pentobarbital took effect, Ramey took a deep breath, sputtered and began snoring. After 10 loud snores and two that were barely audible, he went still.
He was pronounced dead 14 minutes after the injection was first administered.
Ramey became the sixth inmate executed in Texas this year, with the state set to carry out three more lethal injections over the next two months.
In January 2007, Ramey was convicted and sentenced to death for the August 2005 shootings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38, at a home they shared in Edna, a small rural city about 100 miles southwest of Houston.
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LeJames Norman, Ramey's accomplice, lived across the street from the house and the two came to believe there was cocaine there, according to court records.
On Aug. 24, 2005, the men walked over to the home while wearing masks and knocked on the door. After Lopez answered the door, they forced their way inside, records show.
After finding no drugs, the two men fatally shot Lopez, then killed Peacock and Roberts when they arrived at the home. Before fleeing for good, Ramey returned and shot the victims again to ensure they were dead, according to court documents.
Norman was executed on Sept. 16 at the Huntsville prison, where all executions are carried out in Texas.
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Hours before Ramey was put to death, the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal. Ramey's attorneys argued jurors never heard mitigating evidence about his upbringing, including that he endured physical abuse as a child and grew up in poverty.
State prosecutors urged the Supreme Court to reject the appeal, calling it "meritless" and arguing the record showed Ramey had exhibited an escalating pattern of criminal behavior.
Norman was arrested about five months after the killings while attempting to re-enter the United States from Mexico, where he had fled. During Ramey's January 2007 trial, Norman testified that both men took part in the shootings, while Ramey's attorneys argued Norman was solely responsible.
Ramey's former girlfriend testified that she was with him when he threw two handguns into a lake after the killings and that he later gave her a detailed account of his role in the crime.
Norman pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to death in December 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.