Haunting last words of death row inmate & cop killer Wesley Ruiz directed at victims family who s

Publish date: 2024-06-22

A DEATH row inmate has told his victim's family, "I hope this brings you closure," before being executed by lethal injection.

Wesley Ruiz, 43, died at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, on Wednesday.

He was convicted of the March 2007 killing of Dallas Police Senior Corporal Mark Nix following a high-speed chase, per Yahoo! News.

Strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, Ruiz said: "I would like to apologize to Mark and the Nix family for taking him away from you.

"I hope this brings you closure."

He did not look at Nix’s loved ones, including the officer’s mom and sister, who watched through a window a few feet away.

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Seven other executions are scheduled in Texas for later this year, including one next week.

Ruiz had led officers on a high-speed chase after being spotted driving a car that matched the description of one used by a murder suspect.

Authorities said Ruiz fired one shot at Nix when the officer tried to break the vehicle’s passenger window after the chase.

The bullet hit Nix’s badge, splintered it, and sent fragments into his neck, severing an artery. He later died at a hospital.

Nix, 33, a US Navy veteran of Operation Desert Storm, had been on the Dallas force for nearly seven years.

He was engaged to be married when he was killed.

The US Supreme Court earlier on Wednesday declined an appeal from Ruiz’s attorneys to halt the execution.

At his trial, Ruiz said he was afraid for his life when he fired in self-defense on Nix after the officer allegedly threatened to kill him.

He also said he believed police fired their weapons first.

“I didn’t try to kill the officer. I just tried to stop him,” Ruiz testified.

Ruiz also said he fled from police that day because he had illegal drugs in his car and had taken drugs.

Gabriel Luchiano, who knew Nix when he worked as a security guard, said the officer was a “guardian angel."