Illegal immigrant from Honduras facing execution

[struggle4progress]

Source: Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — An illegal immigrant from Honduras who claimed his treaty rights were violated when he was arrested for a robbery-murder near Dallas lost his appeal Thursday at the U.S. Supreme Court, clearing the way for his execution.

In the second case of its kind this week in Texas, lawyers for condemned killer Heliberto Chi went to the nation's highest court claiming Chi should have been told he could get legal assistance from the Honduran consulate when he was arrested in California and extradited to Texas to face charges for killing his former boss at a men's clothing store during a robbery 7 1/2 years ago.

Chi, 29, was scheduled for lethal injection for the fatal shooting of Armand Paliotta. Chi had once worked for Paliotta as a tailor at the store in Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth.

The Supreme Court, ruling about 2 1/2 hours before his scheduled execution time, rejected his appeal without dissent ...



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5930736.html

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Now the DP is an illegal immigration deterrent?? Wonder if that will work any better than

using it as a deterrent against crime?

[Edweird]

2. "for killing his former boss at a men's clothing store during a robbery 7 1/2 years ago."

What does his immigration status have to do with that?

[lonestarnot]

3. I think it's a treaty right for undocumented workers to allow them to call the consulate upon arrest

It wasn't done. A technicality.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Nothing, but but I did wonder if this would somehow get played up into another

anti-immigrant rant by the RW.

[rcsl1998]

4. This Opens The Door For Americans To Receive The Same 'Consideration' In Other Countries

...regardless of fair or unfair convictions...

[WriteDown]

13. If I kill my former boss in cold blood....

and then knock around my pregnant girlfriend. I will have earned whatever punishment they deal out.

[struggle4progress]

6. Texas executes immigrant after winning court fight

... Chi was pronounced dead .. at 6:25 p.m. CDT ...

http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/483178.html

[Narragansett Beer]

7. Sounds Like Quite a Guy

Let's see...murdered a guy and assaulted his girlfriend...quite a guy, I'd say.

[WriteDown]

11. Don't forget......

his PREGNANT girlfriend. And her brother was the getaway driver for the murder!!!

[Hugabear]

8. The new Texas approach to illegal immigration: Kill 'em

Fuck what the world says.

[The Croquist]

12. Actually I think it's the standard Texas approach to convicted murderers

You should be glad. They are treating illegal immigrants the same way they treat US citizens.

[Hugabear]

14. Do not tell me "I should be glad"

It's fucking barbaric, and Texas is thumbing their nose at the international community - you know, the one that we're a part of?

[The Croquist]

15. What is barbaric?

The fact that Texas executed him or the fact that he was a brutal, premeditated murderer?

I don't give a rats butt about where he was born. All I care about is the fact that he killed Armand Paliotta in cold blood.

May he rot in hell.

[Spouting Horn]

16. Why should the "world"

have a say in our laws?

If we have to run our laws past foreign legislatures, why even bother having a country?

[Igel]

9. I was sort of hoping that the article would discuss the differences

in the reasoning. Silly me, assuming that the reporter would relay something that requires at least a 4th grade education to understand.

I can understand easily why the Vienna Conventions weren't applicable to Medellin.

But if Chi's lawyer is correct--a big "if", since one of his role's is to make sure everything's spun to his client's and agenda's POV--the Honduras agreement should have been enforced.

I wonder if there's any penalty for not abiding by the terms of the agreement as far as consular contact is concerned.

[Javaman]

10. I predict by, oh say, day 300, he will be pleading to have prison food. nt

[Erebus67]

17. I won't miss the guy at all.

"The Supreme Court, ruling about 2 1/2 hours before his scheduled execution time, rejected his appeal without dissent ..."

Would "without dissent" mean that the ruling was unanimous? If it wasn't unanimous but there was no dissent would that mean they didn't have an argument they felt was good enough to put on paper? I would assume that at least 1 judge would vote against on the principal of objecting to the DP. Maybe not, that's why I ask.

It amazes me that the writer apparently didn't do his homework and find out if the treaty does or doesn't state what the lawyer says it does.