HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas executed Cedric Ricks on Wednesday evening for the 2013 stabbing deaths of his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son, as the woman’s surviving son watched through a glass window just steps from the execution gurney.
Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He apologized repeatedly during his final statement to seven family members who witnessed his execution, particularly addressing Marcus Figueroa, who survived the May 2013 attack that killed his mother Roxann Sanchez, 30, and his younger brother Anthony Figueroa, 8, at their apartment in Bedford. The execution marks the second in Texas this year and the sixth nationwide, as the state continues to lead the nation in capital punishment cases.
“I want to say that I’m sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y’all,” Ricks said when asked by the warden for his final statement. “I’m glad to be able to speak to tell y’all that face to face.” With his voice cracking and tears forming, he directly addressed Marcus Figueroa: “I always thought about you and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away. I hate that you had to experience that, I just can’t imagine, but I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.” Ricks expressed hope that he would find his victims in heaven and “tell them I’m sorry face to face.” Marcus Figueroa showed no emotion during the proceedings, and visible scars from the attack could be seen on the back of his neck above his shirt collar.
The 2013 killings occurred during a domestic dispute in the Bedford apartment Ricks shared with Sanchez and her two sons from a previous marriage. Prosecutors said the argument escalated when Anthony and Marcus Figueroa tried to intervene to protect their mother. Ricks grabbed a kitchen knife and began stabbing Sanchez multiple times, according to court records. Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and attempted to call police, but Ricks followed and stabbed the 12-year-old boy 25 times. The boy survived by playing dead until Ricks fled the apartment. Ricks did not harm his own 9-month-old son Isaiah, who was also present during the attack. He was later arrested in Oklahoma after fleeing the scene.
During his capital murder trial, Ricks testified that he had anger management issues and claimed he was defending himself against the two boys after they came to their mother’s defense. “Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” Ricks said during the proceedings, also apologizing for the killings. Court records revealed that just one day before the fatal stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court on charges of assaulting Sanchez in a previous incident, highlighting a pattern of domestic violence. The case underscored the tragic escalation from prior abuse to fatal violence that claimed two lives and left a child permanently scarred.
Ricks’ execution proceeded after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal without comment on Wednesday. His attorneys had argued that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors based on race during jury selection, citing the 1986 Batson v. Kentucky ruling that prohibits racial discrimination in jury selection. The defense claimed that prosecution notes obtained in 2021 showed prosecutors had singled out minority jurors for exclusion. However, the Texas Attorney General’s Office maintained that court records showed the prosecution’s jury selection decisions were “race neutral” and that lower courts had already concluded the actions were not discriminatory. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request for either a death sentence commutation or a 90-day reprieve earlier in the week.
As the lethal injection took effect, Ricks took 19 quick breaths, followed by 10 snoring sounds and intermittent gurgles before all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the drugs began flowing. Among the witnesses were Roxann Sanchez’s stepfather and brother, along with Anthony Figueroa’s father, brother, and grandmother. None of the family members showed emotion in the witness area and declined to speak with reporters afterward. The execution chamber scene reflected the lasting impact of the violence, with multiple generations of family members seeking closure after nearly 13 years of legal proceedings.
Texas continues to lead the nation in executions, with Ricks becoming the second person executed in the state this year. The case contrasts with recent developments in Alabama, where Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of 75-year-old Charles “Sonny” Burton to life without parole, even though Burton had been scheduled for execution Thursday. Burton was condemned for a 1991 robbery shooting despite not pulling the trigger himself. The Bedford killings represent the type of domestic violence case that often results in capital punishment in Texas, where prosecutors successfully argued that Ricks’ actions warranted the ultimate penalty.
