On July 18, 2013, the State of Texas put Vaughn Ross to death for the 2001 murders of Douglas Birdsall, 53, and Viola Ross, 18, in Lubbock. Prior to the execution, Mr. Birdsall’s son, Nathaniel, told the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal, “My father raised me to believe that capital punishment is unjust. I am saddened that the loss of two lives will be needlessly compounded by the taking of a third.” Read more about the case and the vigil held in Lubbock in the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal.
It was the tenth execution to take place in the state this year, out of 20 nationwide. Texas has executed 502 people since 1982.
The next execution is scheduled to take place on July 31, 2013.