Texas Death Row:
A Look The Life & Crimes Of Every Inmate Executed In 2023


Here is a look at the eight men executed this year in Texas and the capital crimes they were convicted of committing.




Robert Fratta
Executed: 1/10/2023

Final Words: None.

Robert Fratta, a former police officer, was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot.
Fratta was convicted of having his wife, Farah Fratta, murdered in 1994 over a
custody dispute. He paid one man $3000 and the other his Jeep for shooting her
in the head. His accomplices, Howard Guidry and Joseph Prystash, remain on
death row. Fratta's attorneys attempted to halt his execution, as the drugs
used to kill him were expired; however, their efforts failed.










Wesley Ruiz
Executed: 2/1/2023

Final Words: "I would like to apologize to Mark and the Nix family. I hope this brings you
closure. I want to say to all my family and friends around the world thank you for supporting
me. To my kids, stand tall and continue to make me proud, don’t worry about me I’m going to be OK,"

Wesley Ruiz was convicted of the murder of a police officer, a capital crime in Texas. During
a police chase in 2007, Ruiz's vehicle slid of the road. When Senior Cpl. Mark Nix attempted
to smash in the window of the vehicle, Ruiz shot him fatally in the chest. Ruiz's attorneys also
attempted to delay his execution over the expired drugs issue.







John Balentine
Executed: 2/08/2023

Final Words: "I want to thank y’all. I love y’all for supporting me. I want to apologize for the wrong
I did to y’all. Forgive me, I’m ready."

John Balentine was executed after being convicted in the shooting deaths of 3 Amarillo teens,
one of whom was the brother to the woman he was dating. For a deep dive into this harrowing
Texas true crime story, click here.








Gary Green
Executed: 3/07/2023

Last Words: "I took not one, but two people that we all loved, and I had to live with that while I
was here. I ask that you forgive me, not for me but for y’all. I’m fixing to go home and y’all are
going to be here. I want to make sure you don’t suffer. You have to forgive me to heal and move on,"

Gary Green was convicted for the murder of his wife, Lovetta Armstead and the bath tub drowning
death of his step-daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, who was 6 years old. Green became enraged
when he discovered his wife wished to annul their marriage. Green originally planned to also kill
his sons and himself, but his sons successfully pleaded for their lives and Green failed to kill himself
with a cocktail of over-the-counter drugs. Green turned himself in to the police. Green attempted to
appeal his death sentence, citing his schizoaffective disorder as a mitigating circumstance,
but that attempt clearly failed.










Arthur Brown
Executed: 3/09/2023

Last Words: “Tonight, Texas will kill a second innocent man for a murder that occurred in 1992.
I have no further words.”

Arthur Brown was convicted of the murder of four people inside a drug house, although he's
consistently maintained his innocence, and, "Texas’ Office of Capital and Forensic Writs asked
courts to halt Brown’s execution, arguing Houston prosecutors for decades hid evidence pointing
to another suspect." Prosecutors begged to differ, claiming that the evidence presented in the
appeal was, "of little value." Was Brown executed based on police corruption, flimsy forensics,
and lies? Or was he just trying to save his neck like anyone else? I'll let you decide.










Jedidiah Murphy
Execution Date: 10/10/2023

Last Words: “To the family of the victim I want to say I sincerely apologize for all I did.
I hope this brings you closure.”

Jedidiah Murphy was convicted of robbing and killing an 80-year-old woman by shooting
and then drowning her. For a deeper dive into this crime, and Jedidiah's subsequent
spiritual awaking click here.








Brent Brewer
Execution Date: 11/09/2023

Last Words: “I would like to tell the family of the victim that I could never figure out the words to fix
what I have broken. I just want you to know that this 53-year-old is not the same reckless 19-year-old
kid from 1990. I hope you find peace.”

Brent Brewer was convicted of the stabbing death of a man who was giving him and his girlfriend a ride.
However, part of the conditions of putting a person on death row is the reasonable belief that they are a
future danger. Did junk science "prove" Brent's future dangerousness? Click here for a deeper dive.










David Renteria
Execution Date: 11/16/2023

Last Words: “And for those who have called for my death, who are about to murder me: I forgive you.”

It is difficult to have sympathy for David Renteria, the last man to be executed this year in Texas. Renteria
was convicted in the kidnapping death of a 5-year-old girl, whom he abducted from an El Paso Walmart.
She was found nude with a partially burnt plastic bag on her head.
For a deeper dive on this chilling crime, click here.