Genaro Ruiz Camacho, Jr. (September 14, 1954 – August 26, 1998), aka Geno Camacho, was a

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

dealer and organized crime leader in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

who was linked to four murders and eventually executed by the state of Texas.

Crime

On May 20, 1988, David L. Wilburn, 25, who worked for Sam Wright, 57, and had a mental disability, unwittingly interfered when Camacho and two accomplices tried to kidnap Wright, Evellyn Banks, 31, and Banks's 3-year-old son Andre. Wilburn was forced to lay down in Wright's home and was then shot in the back of the head, for no apparent reason. After the murder, Wright managed to escape, but Camacho and his accomplices kidnapped Evellyn and Andre Banks and killed them three days later. After this, he fled to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

learned via an informant that Camacho had escaped to the town of Arcelia, in Guerrero State, Mexico. They requested that he be

extradited Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdi ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Still, the Mexican authorities claimed that Arcelia and the surrounding area were under the total control of heavily armed drug lords and that any arrest attempt would result in a bloodbath. Instead, the FBI set up a sting operation to lure Camacho back to the United States. Camacho was arrested as he crossed the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

near

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

. He was convicted of the murder of Wilburn and the kidnapping and murders of Evellyn and Andre Banks (and that of Pamela Miller, a Dallas topless dancer, the reason for whose killing remains disputed) and sentenced to death. Camacho leaves behind a daughter and two sons, Theresa, Genaro, and Marco. While on death row, Camacho was also convicted of federal charges for kidnapping and killing Evellyn Banks and her son. He faced federal charges under the

Federal Kidnapping Act Following the historic Lindbergh kidnapping (the abduction and murder of Charles Lindbergh's toddler son), the United States Congress passed a federal kidnapping statute—known as the Federal Kidnapping Act, (a)(1) (popularly known as the Lindb ...

since they had been taken across state lines. Camacho was sentenced to life in prison on these charges. Camacho had a

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States In the United States, most states gi ...

of steak, baked potato, salad, and strawberry ice cream and was executed by lethal injection on August 26, 1998. The execution had to be delayed by two hours, because of difficulties locating a suitable

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenat ...

for the injection.

Media

The 1988 search for Genaro Ruiz Camacho was the subject of "Cracking the Cartel," episode 4 of the second series of the Discovery Channel's

The FBI Files ''The FBI Files'' is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006 on the Discovery Channel and produced by New Dominion Pictures. The show was cancelled in 2006. However, Court TV Mystery, Discovery, and its sist ...

General references

Offender Information
. ''

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

''. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camacho, Genaro Ruiz 1954 births 1998 deaths People convicted of murder by Texas 20th-century executions by Texas People executed by Texas by lethal injection American people executed for murder American drug traffickers 20th-century executions of American people People convicted of murder by the United States federal government People convicted under the Federal Kidnapping Act

Crime

Media

See also

General references

References