In the state of Texas, the death penalty is a subject of heated debate. The Lone Star state claims the top spot for inmates sentenced to die. And Lubbock, Texas can claim several inmates who committed crimes heinous enough for a jury of peers to sentence them to death.

In Texas, the definition of Capital Murder is found in the Texas Penal Code in Chapter 19's 'Offenses Against the Person'. A capital murder charge is one that meets the following criteria when a murder is committed:

  • The person murders a peace officer or fireman.
  • The person intentionally commits the murder in the course of committing (or attempting to commit) another assaultive offense.
  • The person commits the murder as part of a "murder for hire" plot.
  • The person commits the murder while incarcerated or while escaping or attempting to escape from a penal institution.
  • The person murders more than one person during one criminal act
  • The person murders an individual under 10 years of age.
  • The person murders another person in retaliation for or because of their capacity in the judicial system (a judge, attorney, etc)

Lubbock's Death Row Inmates

The TDCJ website has a whole section dedicated to facts and information about Texas Death Row. The following facts are as listed by TDCJ

  • 20 total inmates from Lubbock County have been sentenced to death
  • 13 of those inmates on death row from Lubbock County have been executed
  • Currently, the only inmate on death row from Lubbock County is Brian Suniga, who's information can be found here.
  • The last death row inmate from Lubbock County to be executed was Rosendio Rodriguez in 2018.

Below are summaries for the 13 executed death row inmates from Lubbock County.

Executed Death Row Inmates of Lubbock County

The following is a look at the 13 Texas Death Row inmates who have been executed for crimes committed in Lubbock County