‘I wanted to watch him die,’ victim’s daughter says after Texas death row execution
Nearly 30 after two brothers were stabbed to death during a home invasion in Texas, the man held responsible for the crimes was executed by lethal injection.
Rick Rhoades, 57, was convicted in 1992 in the previous year’s killing of Charles Allen, 31, and Bradley Allen, 33, according to The Associated Press. Less than a day before the murders, Rhoades had been released from prison following a burglary conviction.
Some family members of the brothers witnessed Rhoades’ execution Tuesday.
“He watched my dad die, so I wanted to watch him die,” said Marley Allen Holt, Bradley Allen’s daughter, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The execution took place at a state penitentiary at Huntsville — about 70 miles north of Houston. Rhoades is the third person to be executed this year in Texas, along with Quintin Jones and John Hummel.
Kevin Allen, a brother of the victims, described watching the execution as “a weird feeling.”
“I can’t really describe what it’s like,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “It’s the most solemn thing I think I’ve ever been part of, if that’s the word that’s even appropriate.”
Court records show Rhoades received a 5-year sentence for automobile theft and burglary. He was released on parole on Sept. 12, 1991 — one day before entering the home of the Allen brothers and murdering them. He also stole money from the brothers.
He was arrested about a month later while burglarizing a school, when he confessed to the murders, according to the Texas Tribune. He said he was bothered by the murders of the brothers and was “tired of running,” the publication reported.
Rhoades was sentenced to death in 1992, but appealed the ruling numerous times. Last-ditch efforts by Rhoades’ lawyers to put a pause on his execution date were struck down by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and U.S. Court of Appeals.
“The death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst, and a Harris County jury determined long ago that this defendant fits the bill,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement, AP reported. “Let us honor the memory of the victims, Charles and Bradley Allen, and never forget that our focus has and always will be on the victims.”
Rhoades did not make a final statement before his execution and was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m. Tuesday, the Texas Tribune reported.
Oct. 12 is the date for the state’s next execution, when Stephen Barbee is scheduled to die. He was convicted in the 2005 killing of Lisa Underwood, who was pregnant, and her son, Jayden, in north Fort Worth.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 2:51 PM with the headline "‘I wanted to watch him die,’ victim’s daughter says after Texas death row execution."