Shannon Charles Thomas
Encyclopedia
Shannon Charles Thomas was a murderer executed
by lethal injection
by the U.S. state
of Texas
. He was convicted of the Christmas Eve
, 1993 murder of 10-year-old Maria Rios and her 11-year-old brother, Victor Rios, in their Baytown, Texas
home.
the two children's father, Roberto Rios, a small-time marijuana
and cocaine
dealer, of his drugs and money. In the early afternoon Rios was duct taped to a chair, severely beaten, tortured with a pair of shears
and shot twice in the head and stabbed in the neck with a steak knife. Thomas then went upstairs to the children's room where he shot them point-blank in the head through a pillow as they lay on the floor. It appears that the motive for the killings of the children was the elimination of witnesses.
Police were unable to solve the crime for over a year until they arrested one of Thomas' friends who gave information that linked Thomas and Clay to the murders. Additionally, a postal worker and friend of the Rios testified they had seen a "beige-looking, maybe white" car in front of the house. Clay owned a white Cadillac
with tinted windows which he reported stolen after the murders.
gas station. Clay was executed on March 20, 2003 for this murder.
Thomas had previous criminal convictions to his name. He was on probation for delivery of a controlled substance
and had served time in a Harris County, Texas
boot camp for assault
.
After being convicted of the two children's murders, Thomas was sentenced
to death by a jury on November 8, 1996. The conviction and sentence were then affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
after an automatic appeal required in all death penalty cases in Texas. An appeal for writ of habeas corpus
was denied on November 24, 1998 by the Court of Criminal Appeals. Appeals to a U.S. district court
were also denied and an application for a certificate of appealability was denied in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
on October 11, 2004. Thomas did not file a clemency petition with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Thomas defence claimed that although the postal worker said that he saw two men at the Rios' home on the day of the murders, it was only under hypnosis that he identified Thomas as one of those men. Thomas continued to contend that he was completely innocent of the murders and that evidence against him was purely circumstantial
.
Shannon Charles Thomas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
(TDCJ) Death Row#999213, was received by the TDCJ on December 4, 1996. He was held in the death row in the Ellis Unit
until 1999, when the death row moved to the Polunsky Unit
.
.
In his final statement, Thomas said:
As the drugs started taking effect, Thomas asked, "Is the mic still on?" He was told that it was, but then he lost consciousness.
His execution was delayed shortly by a late appeal that was denied by the Supreme Court of the United States
. He was pronounced dead at 6:52 p.m. CST after being executed by lethal injection
at the Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas
.
It was the 996th execution in the United States since the Gregg v. Georgia
decision in 1976.
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
by the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was convicted of the Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, 1993 murder of 10-year-old Maria Rios and her 11-year-old brother, Victor Rios, in their Baytown, Texas
Baytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
home.
Crime
Thomas and Keith Bernard Clay's intention on Christmas Eve was to robRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
the two children's father, Roberto Rios, a small-time marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
dealer, of his drugs and money. In the early afternoon Rios was duct taped to a chair, severely beaten, tortured with a pair of shears
Shears
Shears may mean:* trauma shears, scissors used by emergency medical personnel to quickly and safely cut clothing* kitchen shears, a kind of scissors* pinking shears, a kind of scissors* blade shears, typically used for shearing animals...
and shot twice in the head and stabbed in the neck with a steak knife. Thomas then went upstairs to the children's room where he shot them point-blank in the head through a pillow as they lay on the floor. It appears that the motive for the killings of the children was the elimination of witnesses.
Police were unable to solve the crime for over a year until they arrested one of Thomas' friends who gave information that linked Thomas and Clay to the murders. Additionally, a postal worker and friend of the Rios testified they had seen a "beige-looking, maybe white" car in front of the house. Clay owned a white Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
with tinted windows which he reported stolen after the murders.
Trial and appeals
During his trial, it was revealed that Thomas had also taken part in a robbery on January 4, 1994 where Keith Clay shot Melathethil Tom Varughese, a clerk at a TexacoTexaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
gas station. Clay was executed on March 20, 2003 for this murder.
Thomas had previous criminal convictions to his name. He was on probation for delivery of a controlled substance
Controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use are regulated by a government. This may include illegal drugs and prescription medications ....
and had served time in a Harris County, Texas
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
boot camp for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
.
After being convicted of the two children's murders, Thomas was sentenced
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
to death by a jury on November 8, 1996. The conviction and sentence were then affirmed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas, United States. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges....
after an automatic appeal required in all death penalty cases in Texas. An appeal for writ of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
was denied on November 24, 1998 by the Court of Criminal Appeals. Appeals to a U.S. district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
were also denied and an application for a certificate of appealability was denied in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
on October 11, 2004. Thomas did not file a clemency petition with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Thomas defence claimed that although the postal worker said that he saw two men at the Rios' home on the day of the murders, it was only under hypnosis that he identified Thomas as one of those men. Thomas continued to contend that he was completely innocent of the murders and that evidence against him was purely circumstantial
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence is evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact, like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime...
.
Shannon Charles Thomas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) Death Row#999213, was received by the TDCJ on December 4, 1996. He was held in the death row in the Ellis Unit
Ellis Unit
O. B. Ellis Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville. The unit, with about of space, now houses up to 2,400 male prisoners. Ellis is situated in a wooded area shared with the Estelle Unit, which is located away...
until 1999, when the death row moved to the Polunsky Unit
Polunsky Unit
Allan B. Polunsky Unit is a prison in West Livingston, unincorporated Polk County, Texas, located approximately southwest of Livingston along Farm to Market Road 350. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the facility. The unit houses the State of Texas death row, and it has a maximum...
.
Execution
No member of the Rios' family witnessed the execution. Thomas requested that his sister and a friend witness for him. Thomas requested no last mealLast meal
The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...
.
In his final statement, Thomas said:
- "Yes. Man, I just want you to know how much I love them. I want you to be strong and get through this time. Do not fall back. Keep going forward. Don't let this hinder you. Let everybody know I love them (several names listed), Kevin - as well as everyone else in the family. Tell them that I love them and stay strong. This is kind of hard to put words together; I am nervous and it is hard to put my thoughts together. Sometimes you don't know what to say; I hope these words give you comfort. I don't know what to say. I want you to know I love you; just stay strong and don't give up. Let everybody know I love them...and love is unconditional, as Mama has always told us. I may be gone in the flesh, but I am always with you in spirit. I love you."
As the drugs started taking effect, Thomas asked, "Is the mic still on?" He was told that it was, but then he lost consciousness.
His execution was delayed shortly by a late appeal that was denied by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. He was pronounced dead at 6:52 p.m. CST after being executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
at the Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
.
It was the 996th execution in the United States since the Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
decision in 1976.
See also
- List of individuals executed in Texas
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
External links
- Media Advisory from the Texas Attorney GeneralTexas Attorney GeneralThe Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
- Report from National Coalition to Abolish the Death PenaltyNational Coalition to Abolish the Death PenaltyThe National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is a large organization dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty in the United States...
- Offender Information from Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
- Last Statement from Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
- Shannon Charles Thomas from The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney.
