Before his Texas execution, a man convicted of killing his three children told witnesses he’d be with them in heaven ‘in a little bit’
More than 23 years later, the case reached its final chapter.
The final words of a Texas death row inmate have drawn attention after he told witnesses he expected to reunite in heaven with his three children shortly before being executed for their murders. John Allen Rubio, 46, was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Texas on Thursday.
The execution came more than 23 years after the killings in Brownsville. Earlier this year, Rubio told a local station that he missed his children every day.
Before his execution, Rubio spoke about his religious faith and said he was ready to die. “I’m going to be with my kids in a little bit. I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my Lord and Savior,” he told witnesses, according to TMZ.
The 2003 killings led to two trials and a lengthy appeals process
Rubio and his common-law wife, Angela Camacho, fatally stabbed and beheaded the three children in March 2003 in their Brownsville apartment. The victims were 3 years old, 14 months old and 2 months old.
Camacho pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder in 2005 and received a life sentence. Rubio initially received a death sentence, but an appeals court overturned his conviction in 2007 after ruling that statements made by Camacho had been improperly admitted as evidence during his trial.
He was retried in 2010, convicted again and sentenced to death. During the second trial, Rubio pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, although prosecution experts disputed the diagnosis.
According to court records, Rubio had previously claimed that the children were possessed and that he was the “chosen one” who had been meant to save the world. Defense experts also pointed to his traumatic childhood, which included violence at home and drug use, as factors that had affected his development.
Rubio thanked prison staff and apologized to his wife’s family
In his final statement, Rubio also thanked prison staff for helping him strengthen his religious faith. He expressed gratitude to friends and family for their support and said he was no longer the person he had once been.
He also addressed his wife’s family, apologizing for the children’s deaths while acknowledging that his execution would not undo what had happened.
“I can’t change the past but I can tell you my life is going to be over. But that’s not going to make you happy,” he said.
Rubio also expressed love for Camacho, who remains incarcerated for her role in the killings. After his final statement, a prison chaplain briefly prayed over him before the lethal injection began. Rubio took several breaths as the drugs took effect, and a physician pronounced him dead at 6:47 p.m., 21 minutes after the injection started.
The three children were remembered in the community long after their deaths. The apartment building where they were killed was demolished, with the site eventually transformed into a park and community garden.
His death was the 37th execution carried out nationwide in 2026, according to the Associated Press. The Trump administration has also moved to bring back firing squads for federal executions.
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