A Texas man convicted of killing three young children more than two decades ago was executed by lethal injection on Thursday evening, November 12, 2026. John Allen Rubio, 46, was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 6:47 p.m. at the state prison in Huntsville, according to the ᴀssociated Press.

Rubio was convicted in the March 11, 2003, killings of Julissa Quezada, age 3; John Esteban Rubio, age 1; and Mary Jane Rubio, who was only two months old. The children were found stabbed and beheaded inside a windowless apartment in Brownsville, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Rubio had helped raise the children, though he was not the biological father of the two older ones. His common-law wife, Angela Camacho, was also charged; she pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.

In the period leading up to the crimes, Rubio reportedly claimed the children were possessed and described himself as a “chosen one” meant to save the world. He later entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, while prosecution experts disputed that finding. His legal team also presented evidence of a troubled childhood marked by violence, substance abuse, and other difficult circumstances.

The execution proceeded without reported complications. In his final statement, Rubio thanked friends and family for their support, acknowledged that he was “not the same person I once was,” and expressed love for his wife. He apologized to his wife’s family, saying he could not change the past. “I’m going to be with my kids in a little bit,” he added. “I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my lord and savior.”

The apartment building where the children were killed was later demolished. The site was converted into a community park and garden. Rubio’s execution was the second carried out in the United States that day; earlier, Oklahoma executed James Pavatt for a 2001 murder.