HUNTSVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday was considering whether to block a Mexican citizen's execution for the rape and murder of a teenager in a case where Texas justice clashed with international treaty rights. The White House was among those pleading for a stay, saying the case could affect not only foreigners in the U.S. but Americans detained in other countries.
The Obama administration asked the high court to delay Humberto Leal's execution, set for Thursday evening, so Congress could consider a law that would require court reviews in cases where condemned foreign nationals did not receive help from their consulates. Prosecutors say such legislation is likely to fail, and that Leal's appeals are simply an attempt to evade justice for a gruesome murder.
Leal, a 38-year-old mechanic, was sentenced to lethal injection for the 1994 rape-slaying of 16-year-old Adria Sauceda, whose brutalized nude body was found hours after Leal left a San Antonio street party with her. The girl's head was bashed with a 30- to 40-pound chunk of asphalt.
Leal moved with his family from Monterrey, Mexico, to the U.S. as a toddler. His appeals contended police never told him he could seek legal assistance from the Mexican government under an international treaty, and that such assistance would have helped his defense. ...
[read more of this internanational tripe at above link]
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