Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Impending Execution of Martin Robles

Martin Robles sits on death row awaiting execution by the people of Texas. He apparently claims to be innocent. As evidence of that, I offer the following pen pal request he has posted on the DeathRow-USA web site.
Hello. My name is Martin Robles and I am looking for a penpal. I am from Corpus Christi, Texas and seeking someone who is cool with writing a death row inmate in their spare time.
I am a 25 year old Mexican who was wrongfully convicted and condemned to die for a double homicide involving gang members. I have little faith in the judicial system for I am a gang member myself and gang members just don't win. So I've accepted my fate and would like to make new friends before I pass away.
I'm 5'6'' with tattoos, bullet wounds, scars, and a pretty smile. I weigh about 180 and work out to stay in shape. I'm an ex-convict so I've spent 6 years in prison before for a murder conviction when I was 17 years of age. I got to spend 13 months of freedom before I was set up by the cops.
I like to fight, shoot dice, and explore the club scene. I like drinking on occasion and love sex. I've been incarcerated most of my adult life, so there's lots of things I've never experienced but I regret nothing.
I come from a loving family and wish to spend my remaining years getting to know someone as a friend. With that said, I leave as I came, with smiles and good intents.

Martin Robles
Martin Robles is one of those somewhat rare instances when I am unable to find much information about his crime, one way or the other. From one appellate decision I find this rather thin statement of facts.
Robles and an accomplice entered a dwelling while the occupants were asleep and shot and killed two persons. He was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.
From another appellate decision I infer that some or a substantial portion of the evidence against Robles came from a snitch, and you should all know by now what little value I put in snitch testimony. Robles and his alleged accomplice were also portrayed as gang members who killed gang members.

In the case of Martin Robles, I have too little information on which to make an assessment. I find that troublesome. If we are going to execute people, we should at least make the basis for the execution well known. Certainly we should publicly provide more information than he was convicted by a jury.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

When he was 17, he took a life. When he was 25 he took 2 more. He was convicted by a jury and this conviction has been upheld throughout the appeals process. In his own words he proudly describes his tattoos and bullet wounds. He shows no remorse - not for the killing he admits to nor those he currently claims he didn't commit. This creature makes my blood run cold and the world will be a better place without him.

Last Suppers said...

From what I've read, Robles was arrested dozens of times as a teenager. He also served very little time for a murder he committed at age 17. We don't always have a smoking gun, an eyewitness, or a photo or video to use as evidence. But given the circumstantial evidence and his prior record, I'm guessing the jury got this one right.---Ty Treadwell, author of Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row

http://lastsuppersbook.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

There was an eyewitness. One of the people sleeping in the house when the shooting took place, recognized him from past encounters. When the two gunmen had left, he peeked out the window and saw the gunmen remove their masks and saw Robles' face.

Anonymous said...

He was locked up for a murder he did not commit. He did time because he was with the person who did the crime not knowing what his friend was going to do. He did not take anyones life then nor did he take anyones life at the age of 25. He is innocent and there was no evidence just he said B.S. If this person supoosely saw these two guys after the shooting why did it take so long to lock them up if theey were so sure about it? Robles is not a bad person nor the killer the media is making him out to be. Thats a fact. We were all young at one time and did stupid things we shouldnt have done. So dont judge him by what you hear unless you really knew him as a person. He is a great, loving, caring and honest man.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 8/10/2011 5:08 AM, has as little evidence to provide that he is an innocent, good person, as the writer of this article has that he is innocent or guilty. Is he always in the wrong place at the wrong time? His penpal letter shows a man that is not a good person who list his first hobby as, "I like to fight..." Odds are, he is a killer. So I am going with the odds. Yes we were all young at one time and most of us made it through that stage without being accussed of murder not once, not twice but three times. Yeah that sounds like a great, loving, caring and honest man to me. NOT! I would respect him more if he would man up to his wrong doing and beg, not ask, for forgiveness, but he won't, he is too busy trying to go to his grave as the victim. That is what is the saddest part to me and that is the real B.S.

tsj said...

I agree that the "odds are, he is a killer." In fact, in any criminal proceeding, the "odds are" that the suspect or defendant is guilty. The police usually get it right.

However, if "odds are" is a sufficient basis for executing someone, why have a trial at all? If instead we want to insure we have the right person, we need to look at the evidence instead of simply falling prey to our prejudice.

Ryan Benson said...

Gang members who kill other gang members serve a purpose to the community. I really don't care when one of them kills another unless it puts civilians in danger. These idiots who reject society and sell drugs and commit violent crimes would overrun society if they didn't exterminate each other on a regular basis. Let Robles and his gang battle it out with the gang members who Robles' victims used to associate with, provide them all with heavy artillery and explosives and hopefully they'll all kill each other and the world will be a better place.

Anonymous said...

He was arrested, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced within 10 months. I guess that's not fast enough for Anon. 5:08 AM.

Anyway, I always love the "we have all done something stupid" arguments. No, I have never murdered anyone and never will.

Anonymous said...

We all know you Americans aren't courageous enough to face the world without your guns and bombs.

Your own "God" says killing is wrong. It is always wrong. True strength and true power lie in forgiveness and compassion.

But you're all so scared that you'd rather twist around your own God's words that be brave and true.

- A contemptuous New Zealander

tsj said...

To the contemptuous New Zealander,

In case you haven't noticed, this site focuses on wrongful conviction issues in The United States of America. I'm liberal in allowing comments even remotely related to the case or issue addressed in the post. I want to encourage discussion.

No one, however, should mistake my criticism of our justice system for disdain of country. I am unabashed in my love for this country, for reasons far too lengthy and powerful to ennumerate here.

Your comment about Americans lacking courage is demonstrably absurd. Perhaps you simply are ignorant of history and current events. Perhaps you simply are incapable of preventing your bias from being expressed in such unflattering fashion.

In either case, I ask that in any future comments to this blog you attempt to limit your point to the case or issue at hand. I ask also that you attempt to rely on reasoned argument rather than embarrassing blather.

In return, I promise not to change my high regard for New Zealand and its people based on your poor represenation thereof.

Unknown said...

I loved him ❤ RIP Martin

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