Killer begs for forgiveness before his execution

HUNTSVILLE - A Mexican serial killer who murdered victims in their homes near railroads as he train-hopped across the United States was executed by lethal injection in a Texas prison yesterday.

Angel Maturino Resendiz, 45 -Dubbed the Railroad Killer - was condemned for the rape and murder of medical researcher Dr Claudia Benton, 39, in her suburban Houston home on December 17, 1998.

While strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, Resendiz said: "I just ask you to forgive me and ask the Lord to forgive me for allowing the devil to deceive me."

Police said Resendiz sneaked into Benton's home after midnight and attacked the sleeping woman, raping her, stabbing her and then beating her to death with a statue. The crime scene was said to be emblematic of Resendiz's attacks, which claimed at least 13 victims, including three others in Texas between 1997 and 1999.

At his 2000 trial for Benton's murder, Resendiz pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He claimed he was half-human and half-angel and was waging a war against evil. In the weeks leading up to his execution, Resendiz's lawyers argued that he was insane and believed he would be resurrected after his execution to continue his campaign against evil.

Resendiz was the 13th person executed in Texas this year and the 368th put to death since the state resumed capital punishment in 1982, a total that leads the nation.

- REUTERS