HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas executed John Allen Rubio on Thursday, November 12, 2026, more than 23 years after he stabbed and beheaded his common-law wife's three young children in Brownsville. Rubio, 46, was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. CT at the Huntsville Unit, 21 minutes after the lethal injection began.

Hours earlier the same day, Oklahoma executed James Dwight Pavatt, 72, at 10:12 a.m. for the 2001 fatal shooting of Rob Andrew, his lover's estranged husband. The two executions, the 36th and 37th in the United States this year, were a coincidence of scheduling amid a death-penalty uptick that began in 2025.

Rubio's death ended a case that had haunted Brownsville since March 11, 2003, when Julissa Quesada, 3, John Esteban Rubio, 14 months, and Mary Jane Rubio, 2 months, were found dead in a windowless apartment. The youngest was Rubio's only biological child. In his final statement, Rubio said he was "going to be with my kids."

Key Points

• John Allen Rubio, 46, was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on November 12, 2026, and pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. CT.
• Rubio was convicted of stabbing and beheading three children in Brownsville on March 11, 2003, after saying they were possessed by evil spirits.
• Angela Camacho, the children's mother, helped in the killings and is serving three consecutive life sentences.
• Hours earlier the same day, Oklahoma executed James Dwight Pavatt, 72, for the 2001 fatal shooting of Rob Andrew.
• The two executions were the 36th and 37th in the United States in 2026, as the death penalty continues its uptick.

What Happened

Rubio was put to death at the Huntsville Unit, the Texas prison that has carried out every execution in the state for a century. Officials pronounced him dead at 6:47 p.m. CT, 21 minutes after the injection began. His final words were brief: "I am going to be with my kids," he said, according to witnesses.

The execution went ahead after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously denied clemency on November 10. Rubio's final appeal had already been denied in October 2026, clearing the last legal obstacle to a sentence handed down more than two decades earlier.

Across the state line, the day's first execution had already taken place by late morning. Pavatt, 72, was executed at 10:12 a.m. for the 2001 fatal shooting of Rob Andrew, the estranged husband of Pavatt's lover. Neither state coordinated with the other.

Background: The 2003 Brownsville Murders

On March 11, 2003, Rubio, then 23, told his common-law wife, Angela Camacho, that the three children in their Brownsville apartment were possessed by evil spirits. Rubio then stabbed and decapitated the children — Julissa Quesada, 3, John Esteban Rubio, 14 months, and Mary Jane Rubio, 2 months — with Camacho's help, inside the family's windowless apartment. His brother discovered the bodies and called police.

Rubio's words to police after his arrest became central to the case. "I know I did something bad but I rather my children be dead than be possessed," he told investigators, a statement prosecutors quoted at trial.

Rubio was first sentenced to death in November 2003, but the conviction was overturned in 2007. He was retried in 2010 and sentenced to death a second time, beginning appeals that stretched 16 years. Camacho was convicted separately and is serving three consecutive life sentences. By the time the sentence was carried out, the children would have been adults — Julissa 26, John Esteban 24 and Mary Jane 23.

Texas Executes John Allen Rubio After Two Decades on Death Row

The execution closes a chapter that began when Texas first sentenced Rubio to death in 2003. His conviction was overturned in 2007, and he was retried and condemned again in 2010. For the families of the three children, the sentence took 23 years to carry out.

The final weeks moved quickly. The Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously on November 10 to deny clemency, and with the final appeal already rejected in October, no court intervened. Texas remains the most active death penalty state, and its pace, along with Oklahoma's, has driven the national total to 37 executions in 2026.

Reactions and Quotes

Rubio's final statement was his only public comment on the day of his death. "I am going to be with my kids," he said before the injection began, a reference to the three children he murdered in 2003.

His words to police after the killings were read back in court and have followed the case ever since. "I know I did something bad but I rather my children be dead than be possessed," Rubio told investigators. The Board of Pardons and Paroles gave no public explanation beyond its unanimous vote to deny clemency.

Why It Matters

The double execution on November 12 is a snapshot of the death penalty in America in 2026. Two men, in two states, were put to death on the same day for murders committed in 2001 and 2003 — crimes that took a quarter of a century to reach their final outcome. The long delays are typical of capital cases, but the same-day coincidence put the system's pace on rare public display.

With Rubio and Pavatt, the United States has now carried out 37 executions this year, continuing an uptick that began in 2025. For the victims' families, the executions close cases that have defined their lives for more than two decades.

What Happens Next

Rubio's execution is final, and there will be no further proceedings in his case. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice will file its standard report, and the case file, open since 2003, will be closed. In Oklahoma, Pavatt's execution likewise ends a case that began with the 2001 shooting of Rob Andrew.

Both states have more execution dates set for the end of 2026 and into 2027, and the pace of executions this year — 37 and counting — will keep the death-penalty debate in the headlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was John Allen Rubio?
A Brownsville, Texas, man, 46, executed on November 12, 2026, for the 2003 stabbing and beheading of his common-law wife's three young children.

Who were the victims?
The victims were 3-year-old Julissa Quesada, 14-month-old John Esteban Rubio and 2-month-old Mary Jane Rubio. The youngest was Rubio's only biological child.

What happened to Angela Camacho?
Angela Camacho, the children's mother, helped Rubio kill the children and is serving three consecutive life sentences.

Who was James Dwight Pavatt?
Pavatt, 72, was executed in Oklahoma the same day for the 2001 fatal shooting of Rob Andrew, the estranged husband of Pavatt's lover.

How many executions have there been in the US in 2026?
The 36th and 37th in the United States this year, continuing an uptick that began in 2025.

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