Edgar Tamayo, 46, met his maker last night, executed by lethal injection for the cold-blooded murder of a Houston police officer. The government of Mexico strongly protested the execution because Tamayo had not been informed of his right to receive consular assistance in a timely fashion, under provisions of 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Secretary of State John Kerry joined in the protest, warning that it ""could impact the way American citizens are treated in other countries."  But the United States Supreme Court did not agree and permitted the death sentence to be carried out.

While I share some concerns over the treatment of American citizens taken into custody in Mexico (and potentially other nations), there appears little doubt that Tamayo was guilty of a heinous crime that snuffed out the life of a young (24 years old) police officer.

[Officer Guy] Gaddis, who had been on the force for two years, was driving Tamayo and another man from a robbery scene when evidence showed the officer was shot three times in the head and neck with a pistol Tamayo had concealed in his pants. The car crashed, and Tamayo fled on foot but was captured a few blocks away, still in handcuffs, carrying the robbery victim's watch and wearing the victim's necklace.

The Associated Press coverage of the execution, which is how most Americans will learn of the execution and controversy, is notable for burying close to the end of the article the fact that Tamayo was in the United States illegally.  He learned the hard way that you don't mess with Texas.

"It doesn't matter where you're from," [Texas Governor Rick] Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said. "If you commit a despicable crime like this in Texas, you are subject to our state laws, including a fair trial by jury and the ultimate penalty."

Hat tip: David Paulin

Picture: screen capture from KXAN TV