Texas inmate Daniel Lee Lopez was executed yesterday for striking and killing a Corpus Christi police lieutenant with an SUV during a chase six years ago, the Associated Press reports. The lethal injection was carried out after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected appeals from his attorneys, who disregarded Lopez’s desire to die. They argued against lower court rulings that found Lopez was competent to make that decision. “I hope this execution helps my family and also the victim’s family,” said Lopez.
The roar of revving motorcycles on the street outside the Huntsville prison, from a group of bikers supporting police, could be heard as Lopez spoke. Lopez, 27, became the 10th inmate put to death this year in Texas, executes more inmates than any other state. Nationally, he was the 19th prisoner to be executed. Lopez’s “obvious and severe mental illness” was responsible for him wanting to use the legal system for suicide, illustrating his “well-documented history of irrational behavior and suicidal tendencies,” his attorney, David Dow, told the high court.