That’s because Wednesday evening, Moises Sandoval Mendoza, 41, was scheduled to die for the particularly grisly 1992 killing of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson. Unfortunately, this horrific crime was committed over twenty years ago. The execution took place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, where Mendoza received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. This makes Mendoza the third prisoner to be executed in Texas so far this year and the 13th in the U.S.
On March 2004, Mendoza abducted Tolleson from her house in Farmersville, Texas—roughly 45 miles northeast of Dallas. He abandoned Tolleson’s six-month-old daughter in the home. Mendoza told police shortly after his arrest that he had strangled Tolleson several times. He later admitted that he raped her before choking her again to death, eventually stabbing her in the neck. To cover up his crime, he burned her body to try and erase all evidence of it.
Given Mendoza’s inflammatory history, it may have been very difficult for a jury to convict him at trial. He had a documented history of extreme violence towards women. This encompassed past attacks on family members and a violent-intent rape of a 14-year-old girl. The jury even asked about Mendoza’s behavior in prison, such as the rape of other prisoners.
In the death chamber, Mendoza admitted that he was sorry for what happened and even referred to Tolleson’s family by name. He came to terms with the hurt he had caused and brought forth an apology for ending Tolleson’s life.
“I am sorry for having robbed you of Rachelle’s life,” – Moises Sandoval Mendoza
Pam O’Neil, Tolleson’s mother, after the execution. He’s just suffered on death row for 20 years, and that ended today. Though he was not put to sleep, he experienced no pain. I can’t say the same about my daughter’s death.”
Mendoza’s confession detailed the chilling sequence of events that led to Tolleson’s death. He confessed to dragging her body to a nearby field after he had brutally murdered her. Even with his confession, he was unable to give investigators a motive for carrying out his crime.
As the execution drew near, Mendoza doubled down on the apology and tried to project a sense of calm and dignity.
“I love you, I am with you, I am well and at peace,” – Moises Sandoval Mendoza
The case has stayed in the public conscience for its sheer brutality, and the painful obviousness to Tolleson’s family of what transpired. In addition to the emotional toll on her loved ones, the crime highlights broader issues related to domestic violence and systemic failures to protect vulnerable individuals.
In determining the severity of Mendoza’s sentence, authorities have pointed to Mendoza’s long track record of violence as a key consideration. For many years the Texas judicial system was a leader in anti-capital punishment rulings, as it controversially executed more defendants than any other state in the country. His case illustrates the increasingly intricate story involving these sentences in America today.