Texas Executes Man Convicted of Killing Woman and Child

(KNUE-FM) The state of Texas executed its second prisoner in 2026 last week for fatally stabbing his then-girlfriend and her 8-year-old son. Cedric Ricks was found guilty of the May 2013 deaths for 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in Bedford, Texas.

Texas Carries Out Second Execution of 2026

Sanchez also had a 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, who was also attacked and injured but he survived the horrific incident.

Ricks, who was 51 at the time of his death was killed by lethal injection just after 6:00 p.m. at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, which is approximately 70 miles north of Houston.

READ MORE: Listing the Top 11 Texas Counties for Executions

Supreme Court Rejects Final Appeal

Around 9:00 a.m. on the day of his execution the U.S. Supreme Court issued a brief order that rejected Ricks’ final appeal to block the execution from taking place. There was no reason given for the rejection.

Ricks’ attorneys argued that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors based on race. Previous appeals by Ricks had all been denied.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said the court records show the prosecution’s jury selections were “race neutral” and other courts already deemed the prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

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Details of the 2013 Bedford Apartment Attack

Prosecutors say Ricks and Sanchez began to argue and Sanchez’s two sons tried to break up the fight. That is when Ricks grabbed a knife and began stabbing Sanchez.

The younger of the two boys ran to his bedroom closet and called 911. The older brother was killed and Ricks then found Marcus Figueroa and stabbed him. He played dead and survived. There was also a 9-month-old in the home who was uninjured.

Ricks fled the scene and was arrested in Oklahoma.

His death marks the second of four currently scheduled executions in the state of Texas for 2026.