Texas executed Richard Lee Tabler on Thursday (February 13), two decades after he fatally shot four people in what he later described as a fit of rage.
Tabler, 46, was administered a lethal injection of pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
He was pronounced dead at 6:38PM, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Among those present for his execution were his mother and sister, as well as the father of one of his victims.
A Deadly Thanksgiving Weekend in 2004
Tabler’s crimes unfolded over Thanksgiving weekend in 2004 near Killeen, Texas.
He lured Mohammed-Amine Rahmouni, 28, and Haitham Zayed, 25, to a remote area under the false pretense of purchasing stolen stereo equipment. Once there, he shot and killed both men.
Rahmouni, who co-owned a Killeen nightclub called TeaZers, had reportedly been in a dispute with Tabler. Investigators later revealed that Rahmouni had allegedly claimed he could have Tabler’s family “wiped out” for $10.
Just two days after the double homicide, Tabler returned to TeaZers, where he shot and killed two teenage dancers, Tiffany Loraine Dotson, 18, and Amanda Benefield, 16.
Tabler later admitted he had been romantically involved with Dotson.
Though he was convicted only for the murders of Rahmouni and Zayed, prosecutors opted not to pursue further convictions for the two teenage victims, as the death penalty had already been secured, per News.com.au.
“The murder of the men was as cold-blooded as it could be,” said Paul McWilliams, the prosecutor who helped put Tabler on death row. “The killing of the girls was just senseless. There was absolutely no reason for that.”
Tabler’s Final Words: A Plea for Forgiveness
As he lay on the execution gurney, Tabler used his final statement to directly address the families of his victims.
“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t regret my actions,” he said. “I had no right to take your loved ones from you ... I am deeply sorry.”
He acknowledged that his execution might bring closure to some, saying: “If you feel that this is what you need to get you closure, I pray it helps you have that closure. I just hope that one day you find that forgiveness to forgive me for taking your loved ones from you.”
Tabler also expressed gratitude to prison staff, thanking them for their “love, support, and compassion.”
“This isn't the end; this is only the beginning,” he added. “I thank God for allowing me to seek him out and finding him … I know when this happens, and this goes through, it's going to be the end of this life, but it will be the beginning of my ultimate life in heaven.”
With his final breath, he turned to the warden and said: “I am finished.”
As the lethal injection began to take effect, he mouthed one final message: “I’m sorry.”
Tabler's Family Responds
During his 20 years on Death Row, Richard Lee Tabler claimed he had undergone a profound transformation — finding faith in God and leading a ministry for fellow Death Row inmates.
While awaiting execution, he spent his time drawing peaceful landscapes and writing several books, offering guidance to young people on how to avoid making the same life-altering mistakes that landed him in prison.
Despite his crimes, Tabler’s mother, sister, and wife insisted that the man they knew was far from the “monster” the world saw.
The three women, who spoke exclusively to USA TODAY, chose to remain anonymous due to past harassment they had received as loved ones of a Death Row inmate.
“The Richard that I know is not the man that they portray to be a monster,” said his wife, who met Tabler through a prison letter-writing program.
“I've never met anybody, even out here in the free world, that has a heart bigger than his.”
In a message shared with USA TODAY through his wife, Tabler expressed peace with his fate, crediting his faith for giving him strength.
“A lot of people cannot understand how I can have such peace and joy in my heart in the face of my own death, but I know it’s the strength, grace, and mercy of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has been with me every step of the way,” he wrote.
“The day of my execution is the beginning of my real life.”