Richard Lee Tabler, convicted of a brutal double homicide, was executed on Tuesday evening after years of legal battles and a determined push by Attorney General Ken Paxton to uphold the man’s death sentence.
Tabler’s execution is the end of a culmination of lengthy legal battles and multiple appeals that spanned over two decades following the Thanksgiving weekend killings that shocked Texas in 2004.
Tabler, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. on February 13 at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville.
His conviction stemmed from the murders of Mohamed-Amine Rahmouni and Haitham Zayed, two men who were lured to a parking lot in Killeen under the false promise of a cheap deal on stereo equipment. On November 25, 2004, Tabler shot and killed the victims with a borrowed handgun, a crime that he later confessed to, according to death row records.
Sadly, the murder spree did not end there. In a chilling twist, Tabler also admitted to murdering two women in an attempt to silence them, believing they could tie him to the earlier killings.
Authorities arrested Tabler just days after the killings, and his admission of guilt led to his conviction in April 2007 for capital murder. Throughout the legal proceedings, Tabler’s conviction was upheld by every court that reviewed the case despite several appeals from his defense team.
The families of the victims have been seeking justice for more than 20 years.
Paxton, who had been vocal in his support for the death penalty in cases of extreme violence, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the case.
“More than twenty years after his violent murder spree during Thanksgiving weekend, Richard Lee Tabler has been held accountable for his heinous actions,” Paxton said in a February 13, 2025 statement.
“The State of Texas has carried out the sentence imposed by a jury of the defendant’s peers, delivering justice for the victims and their families. I remain committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that violent criminals are held accountable,” he added.
According to AP, Tabler’s final moments were spent speaking to the victims’ families while strapped to a gurney, saying, “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t regret my actions. I had no right to take your loved ones from you, and I ask and pray, hope and pray, that one day you find it in your hearts to forgive me for those actions.”
“No amount of my apologies will ever return them to you,” Tabler added.
After offering several more apologies and stating that this was the start of his new life in heaven, he told the warden, “I am finished.”
As the drugs took effect, Tabler whispered, “I’m sorry.”