Rick Rhoades executed in Texas for 1991 double murder

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The state of Texas carried out its third execution of 2021 on Tuesday night, killing 57-year-old Rick Rhoades by lethal injection for the 1991 fatal stabbings of two brothers during a robbery at their Houston-area home.

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Rhoades was condemned for killing Charles Allen, 31, and Bradley Allen, 33, less than one day after he was released on parole after serving a five-year burglary sentence, The Texas Tribune reported.

Prison officials confirmed that Rhoades was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m. at Texas’ death chamber in Huntsville and made no final statement.

According to a prison report, two of Rhoades’ friends stood witness, along with two siblings of the Allen brothers, Bradley Allen’s daughter and a friend to both slain men, the Tribune reported.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to delay Rhoades’ execution over claims his constitutional right to due process was being violated because he was being prevented from pursuing allegations that some potential jurors at his trial might have been dismissed for racially discriminatory reasons.

“We hope the Allen family finds peace after nearly 30 years of waiting for justice for their loved ones. The death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst, and a Harris County jury determined long ago that this defendant fits the bill. Let us honor the memory of the victims, Charles and Bradley Allen, and never forget that our focus has and always will be on the victims,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a prepared statement.

Charles Allen, who played the piano and had dreams of a musical career, worked as a chemical operator at a local refinery, while Bradley Allen worked as a freelance artist. Both brothers had recently endured separate divorces and were living together in a home custom-built for Charles Allen near their parents in the Houston suburb of Pasadena at the time of the murders.

According to court records, prosecutors argued at trial that Rhoades fatally attacked Charles Allen while he slept, and Bradley Allen was killed while defending his brother.

Rhoades was arrested for the double murder about a month later, after he was caught burglarizing an elementary school and confessed to the killings while in police custody, the Tribune reported.

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- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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