A Texas man who waived his right to appeal against execution died by lethal injection at Huntsville State Penitentiary on September 24. Travis Mullis was sentenced to death in 2008 for stomping his three-month-old son to death in 2008, and his execution was one of two to take place in the US on the same day. Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams was put to death hours earlier in Missouri. Mullis was the fourth person executed in Texas this year.
The horrific incident that led to his death occurred in Galveston after Mullis fought with his young son’s mother. Following the argument, he took the three-month-old from his home and sexually assaulted him in a car. When the child cried from pain, Mullis strangled him, threw him from the vehicle, and stamped on his head.
Passersby discovered the child by the side of the road, but the assailant was nowhere to be found. He had fled Texas and later turned himself over to police in Pennsylvania.
The convicted killer’s attorney, Shawn Nolan, confirmed to reporters that he had no plans to make a final appeal for his client’s life, adding that Mullis had entirely accepted the gravity of his actions and took responsibility for his “awful crime.” Nolan also stated that his client had been horrifically abused as a child and had “no chance.” Nevertheless, the convict accepted that he deserved his punishment and said his only regret was killing his son.
At his execution, the 38-year-old thanked prison officials for giving men on death row the opportunity to “show it is possible to be rehabilitated.” He apologized to the child’s mother and said he had only himself to blame for his impending death.
In 2012, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision allowing Mullis to refuse legal help and waive all appeals. This ruling accelerated the execution process, as Mullis requested, under the condition that he underwent a psychological exam to ensure he understood the implications of his requests. Then 25 years old, Mullis said he wanted to die for what he had done as that was the only fitting punishment.
