Texas inmate executed after being convicted of double murder in 2001, insisted he was innocent

close Video

Death row inmate chooses pickled pig knuckles as last meal

Tennessee death row prisoner Edmund Zagorski, who was sentenced in 1984 to die for killing two men during a drug deal, chose pickled pig knuckles and pigtails as his last meal.

Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge. Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. Having trouble? Click here.

A Texas inmate was executed on Wednesday, decades after being convicted of two murders that he insisted he didn’t commit. 

Ivan Cantu, 50, was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. on Wednesday night after being administered a lethal injection. He was an inmate at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville.

In 2001, Cantu was convicted for the murders of his 27-year-old cousin, James Mosqueda, and Mosqueda’s girlfriend, Amy Kitchen, 22. The couple was found shot dead in November 2000.

The Associated Press reported Cantu maintained his innocence in his final words Wednesday as relatives of Kitchen looked on: “I want you to know that I never killed James and Amy,” he said. “And if I did, if I knew who did, you would’ve been the first to know any information.”

ALABAMA DEATH ROW INMATE SERVED STEAK AS LAST MEAL HOURS BEFORE NOVEL EXECUTION IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE KILLING

This undated booking photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Ivan Cantu, who was executed Wednesday. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP / File)

Cantu, according to the AP, also said he didn’t think his death “will bring you closure. If it does, if this is what it takes or have any reservations off in your mind, then so be it.”

Cantu was accused of trying to steal marijuana, cocaine and cash from Mosqueda, a drug dealer, before killing him and his girlfriend in north Dallas. 

ALABAMA DEATH ROW INMATE SERVED STEAK AS LAST MEAL HOURS BEFORE NOVEL EXECUTION IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE KILLING

Cantu had maintained that his cousin was actually killed by a rival drug dealer.

The inmate’s ex-girlfriend, Amy Boettcher, testified that Cantu confessed his intentions to kill Mosqueda and Kitchen — a testimony that Cantu’s attorney said was full of false statements. 

Cantu’s lawyer, Gena Bunn, contested that Boettcher’s testimony about Cantu stealing Mosqueda’s Rolex watch was false, along with her claim that the late inmate gave her an engagement ring stolen from Kitchen.

SUSPECTED LOUISIANA KILLER RECAPTURED AFTER JAIL ESCAPE, FAKED SEIZURE AND PEPPER SPRAYING DEPUTY: SHERIFF

The Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas, where prisoners from death row are executed.  (Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images / File)

Bunn gathered new evidence purportedly proving Cantu’s innocence, but confirmed that she would not submit an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court shortly before the inmate was executed. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously found that new evidence in the case was “not credible.” 

The court argued that “none of [the new evidence] undermines the critical incriminating evidence against Cantu.”

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis recently said that he is “convinced that Ivan Cantu brutally murdered two innocent victims in 2000.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cantu’s execution was the Lone Star State’s first of 2024. The next execution is scheduled for the summer — an inmate named James Harris, Jr. had his March 13 execution date postponed due to a stay issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andrea Vacchiano is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. You can follow her on X at @andrea_vacch or send story tips to andrea.vacchiano@fox.com.