A Texas man convicted of killing three young children in one of the state’s most disturbing criminal cases was executed Thursday evening, November 12, 2026, nearly 23 years after the children were found dead inside a small apartment in Brownsville.

John Allen Rubio, 46, received a lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville. He was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m., approximately 21 minutes after the procedure began, according to the Associated Press.

The case dates back to March 11, 2003, when three children — 3-year-old Julissa Angela Quezada, 14-month-old John Esteban Rubio and 2-month-old Mary Jane Rubio — were killed in the apartment shared by Rubio and his common-law wife, Angela Camacho.

Rubio was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Camacho, who also faced prosecution for her role in the killings, pleaded guilty and received a life sentence.

The execution brought an end to a legal case marked by overturned convictions, renewed trials, psychiatric disputes and repeated efforts to delay the sentence.

Before his death, Rubio expressed regret to his wife’s family, thanked relatives and prison staff, and spoke about his hope of reuniting with the children in heaven.

FINAL WORDS BEFORE THE EXECUTION
Rubio’s execution was scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Huntsville Unit, the Texas prison where executions are carried out.

According to the Associated Press, the procedure proceeded without incident.

Before the lethal injection began, Rubio had an opportunity to make a final statement. A spiritual adviser briefly prayed with him as he prepared for the execution.

He thanked his friends and family for their love and understanding and acknowledged that he was no longer the same person he had once been.

He also expressed love for Angela Camacho, who is serving a life sentence for her role in the children’s deaths.

“I want to say I’m sorry to my wife’s family,” Rubio said.

He continued by acknowledging that he could not change what had happened or undo the pain caused by his actions.

Then he made the statement that would become the most widely reported part of his final words.

“I’m going to be with my kids in a little bit,” he said. “I’m ready to go to heaven to be with my lord and savior.”

The lethal injection used pentobarbital. Rubio was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m., 21 minutes after the injection began.

His execution ended a case that had remained in the Texas criminal justice system for more than two decades.

THE THREE CHILDREN AT THE CENTER OF THE CASE
The victims were Julissa Angela Quezada, 3; John Esteban Rubio, 14 months; and Mary Jane Rubio, just 2 months old.

They were living with Rubio and Camacho in Brownsville, a South Texas city near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Court records established that Rubio was not the biological father of the two older children, but he had taken on a parental role in their lives.

Mary Jane was his biological daughter.

The children’s deaths shocked the Brownsville community and attracted national attention because of their ages and the circumstances described during the investigation.

The apartment where the killings occurred was described in court reporting as a small, windowless and severely neglected residence.

Investigators linked Rubio and Camacho to the killings, and both were prosecuted.

The case also raised questions about the couple’s mental state and the claims Rubio had made in the period leading up to the children’s deaths.

According to court records and reporting on the trials, Rubio had claimed that the children were possessed and portrayed himself as a chosen figure who was supposed to save the world.

Those claims later became an important part of the defense’s argument about his mental condition.

A CASE THAT BEGAN IN MARCH 2003
The killings occurred on March 11, 2003.

Authorities investigated the deaths of the three children and developed a case against Rubio and Camacho.

Rubio was charged with capital murder and eventually faced the death penalty.

Camacho was also prosecuted for her involvement. She later pleaded guilty and received three life sentences, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.

The case became especially complicated because of the questions surrounding Rubio’s mental health and the evidence used against him.

During the legal proceedings, defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia.

They argued that his mental condition affected his understanding of reality and his actions.

Prosecution experts disputed that diagnosis, creating a significant disagreement over whether Rubio met the legal standard for an insanity defense.

Rubio pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

However, the jury ultimately rejected that defense and found him guilty.

HIS FIRST CONVICTION WAS OVERTURNED
Rubio’s original capital murder conviction did not remain in place.

In 2007, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction after finding that statements made by Camacho had been improperly admitted as evidence during his trial.

The appeals court ruled that prosecutors had relied on statements Camacho made outside court before she invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

That ruling meant Rubio’s original conviction could not stand.

The decision did not establish that he was innocent of the killings. Instead, it determined that a legal error involving evidence had affected the original trial.

The case returned to court, and prosecutors pursued a second trial.

The retrial became another major stage in a case that had already attracted significant attention.

A SECOND JURY AGAIN FOUND HIM GUILTY
In 2010, Rubio was tried again.

He once more pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and the defense presented evidence about his psychiatric condition and troubled childhood.

Defense experts maintained that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

They also described a childhood marked by violence, instability, drug use and exposure to prostitution, arguing that these experiences had affected his psychological development.

Prosecution experts rejected the defense’s psychiatric conclusions.

After hearing the evidence, the second jury found Rubio guilty of capital murder and again sentenced him to death.

The conviction and sentence remained in place through subsequent appeals.

The case became an example of how a capital prosecution can continue for many years as courts examine questions involving evidence, constitutional protections, psychiatric testimony and the reliability of the original proceedings.

LATEST APPEALS FAILED TO STOP THE EXECUTION
Even after the second conviction, Rubio continued challenging the death sentence.

One of his most recent legal arguments focused on testimony from a prosecution psychiatric expert at the 2010 trial.

His lawyers argued that the expert had provided false testimony concerning Rubio’s mental health history and that prosecutors had failed to correct it.

On November 5, 2026, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected his latest appeal.

The ruling removed another potential obstacle to the scheduled execution.

Rubio had also joined a lawsuit challenging Texas’ use of pentobarbital in lethal injections.

The lawsuit questioned the state’s supply of the drug, including arguments concerning its expiration and the way it had been prepared by outside compounding facilities.

The effort to block the state’s execution procedures was unsuccessful.

With the major legal challenges rejected, Texas proceeded with the execution on November 12.

THE MENTAL HEALTH DISPUTE THAT FOLLOWED THE CASE
One of the most persistent controversies surrounding Rubio’s prosecution involved his mental health.

Defense experts diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and described behavior that included unusual beliefs about the children and the world.

According to court records, Rubio had claimed the children were possessed and that he had a special role in saving the world.

The defense argued that his psychiatric condition should be considered when determining his criminal responsibility.

Prosecutors presented opposing expert testimony and disputed the diagnosis offered by the defense.

The jury ultimately found that the legal insanity defense did not apply.

The distinction is important: a psychiatric diagnosis does not automatically establish that a defendant meets the legal standard for insanity at the time of a crime.

That determination is made through the legal process, based on the evidence and the applicable law.

The disagreement continued to appear in later appeals, but it did not change the outcome of the retrial or prevent the execution.

CAMACHO REMAINS IN PRISON
Angela Camacho, Rubio’s common-law wife, was also prosecuted in connection with the deaths.

She pleaded guilty and received three life sentences for her role in the killings.

She remains in prison.

Rubio’s final statement included an expression of love for Camacho and an apology directed toward her family.

The execution therefore closed Rubio’s own case, but Camacho’s life sentence means the legal consequences for the second defendant continue.

The two had been living together in the Brownsville apartment when the children were killed.

Although Rubio was not the biological father of the two older children, court records indicated that he had assumed a parental role in their lives.

THE APARTMENT BUILDING WAS LATER DEMOLISHED
The killings left a lasting impact on Brownsville.

The apartment building where the children died was eventually demolished.

The land was later transformed into a park and community garden, according to the Associated Press.

The transformation changed the physical location associated with the case, turning a property remembered for a devastating crime into a public space.

The case remained part of the city’s history for years, with the deaths of the three children continuing to be remembered as one of the most disturbing tragedies in the community.

A FINAL CHAPTER AFTER NEARLY 23 YEARS
Rubio’s execution was one of two executions carried out in the United States on Thursday, November 12.

Earlier that day, Oklahoma executed James Pavatt, 73, for his conviction in the 2001 killing of Rob Andrew.

Rubio’s death marked the conclusion of a criminal case that began in 2003 and passed through two trials, appeals and repeated challenges to the death sentence.

For the families affected by the killings, no court ruling or execution can reverse the loss of the three children.

Julissa was 3 years old. John was 14 months old. Mary Jane was only 2 months old.

Their names remained at the center of the case throughout the years of legal proceedings.

Rubio’s final words reflected his stated religious beliefs and his hope of seeing the children again. But his execution also marked the end of a long legal process in which juries repeatedly found him guilty and courts rejected his final efforts to stop the sentence.

Nearly 23 years after the children were killed, John Allen Rubio was pronounced dead in a Texas prison.

The case is now closed as far as his execution is concerned, leaving behind the memory of three very young victims and a tragedy that profoundly affected their family and the Brownsville community.