Richard Michael Cartwright (February 11, 1974 – May 19, 2005)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 2007-11-15. *Dead link (error 404)Richard Cartwright
''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. was a

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

inmate and activist who was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

by the state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

for the stabbing and shooting of 37-year-old Nick Moraida during a robbery in Corpus Christi on August 1, 1996. Cartwright became known with the Abolishment of the Death Penalty Movement after contributing to a series of articles known as '' Uncensored from Texas Death Row''. After his execution, Clinton Lee Young, (removed from Texas Death Row January 2022),took over the ''Uncensored from Texas Death Row'' articles. Cartwright never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death, however, he claimed innocence of the shooting and stabbing of Moraida throughout his life on Death Row. Richard Cartwright, Dennis Hagood and Kelly Overstreet hatched a plan to rob a gay man by posing as male prostitutes. They thought such a victim would be an easy target because he would be less apt to report the robbery to police. They met 37-year-old Nick Moraida after he pulled up in a small black sports car. The trio invited Moraida to go drinking with them at a remote gulfside park. When they reached the secluded area, Cartwright pulled out a gun and said, "This is a robbery. Put your hands on the cement

all All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

" At the same time, Overstreet held a knife to Moraida's neck. Their plan turned deadly when Moraida refused to give up and tried to flee. One of the men tried to stab Moraida but could not kill him. According to Hagood and Overstreet, Cartwright then shot him in the back with a .38 caliber pistol. Hagood and Overstreet both testified against Cartwright in exchange for reduced sentences; Hagood received 20 years imprisonment and Overstreet received 50 years. Death penalty proponents argue that Cartwright confessed to the murder when he apologized to the family of the victim during his last statement. However, his supporters point out that he never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death and was apologizing for being involved. Several months after Cartwright's death, his supporters still claim he had an effect on the abolishment movement against the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, including among his fellow inmates. For his

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 ...

, Cartwright requested fried chicken, a cheeseburger, onion rings, french fries, bacon, sausage, cheesecake, and cinnamon rolls.Texas Last Meal - Richard Cartwright
''Dead Man Eating'' (2005-05-22). Retrieved on 2007-11-25. When asked if he had a

final statement A person's last words, their final articulated words stated prior to death or as death approaches, are often recorded because of the decedent's fame, but sometimes because of interest in the statement itself. (People dying of illness are frequen ...

, he said: After his final statement, the

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

was started and Cartwright was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Richard 1974 births 2005 deaths 21st-century executions of American people 21st-century executions by Texas American people convicted of murder Aryan Brotherhood American people executed for murder People executed by Texas by lethal injection People convicted of murder by Texas

See also

References