Richard Cartwright (murderer) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Richard Michael "Rich" Cartwright (February 11, 1970 – May 19, 2005) was a Death Row

Death row

Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...

inmate and activist who was executed

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

by the state of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

for the stabbing and shooting of 37 year old Nick Moraida during a robbery in Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...

on August 1, 1996.

Cartwright became well known with the Abolishment of the Death Penalty Movement after contributing to a series of articles known as Uncensored from Texas Death Row
Uncensored from Texas Death Row
Uncensored from Texas Death Row is a series of articles originally started by Paul Colella that gives readers an impression of life on Death Row in Texas through the eyes of the inmates....

. After his execution, Clinton Lee Young

Clinton Lee Young

Clinton Lee Young is a death row inmate and convicted murderer, currently awaiting an appeal in the state of Texas. Young is facing the death penalty on premise of the Law of Parties, which cites that participation in a murder is grounds for capital punishment.Young is known for his Uncensored...

, presently on Texas Death Row, took over the Uncensored from Texas Death Row articles.

Cartwright never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death, however, he claimed innocence of the shooting and stabbing of Moraida throughout his life on Death Row. Richard Cartwright, Dennis Hagood and Kelly Overstreet hatched a plan to rob a gay man by posing as male prostitutes. They thought such a victim would be an easy target because he would be less apt to report the robbery to police. They met 37 year old Nick Moraida after he pulled up in a small black sports car. The trio invited Moraida to go drinking with them at a remote gulfside park. When they reached the secluded area, Cartwright pulled out a gun and said, “This is a robbery. Put your hands on the cement [wall].” At the same time, Overstreet held a knife to Moraida’s neck. Their plan turned deadly when Moraida refused to give up and tried to flee. One of the men tried to stab Moraida but could not kill him. Cartwright then shot him in the back with a .38 caliber pistol. Hagood was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Overstreet was convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. Both testified against Cartwright. Death penalty proponents frequently argue that Cartwright confessed to the murder when he apologized to the family of the victim during his last statement. However, his supporters who knew him on a personal level, including his mother, Irene, continue to defend his innocence, stating that he never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death. Cartwright had also been a member of the Aryan Brotherhood

Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, the AB, or the One-Two, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate in the United States with about 20,000 members in and out of prison...

.

Several months after Cartwright's death, his supporters still claim he had an effect on the abolishment movement against the death penalty

Capital punishment

, including among his fellow inmates.

For his last meal

Last meal

The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...

, Cartwright requested fried chicken, a cheeseburger, onion rings, french fries, bacon, sausage, cheesecake, and cinnamon rolls. When asked if he had a final statement

Final statement

When a criminal is convicted and sentenced to capital punishment, the criminal can make a final statement, or his "last words", before being executed. Much of the time, the last word is an apology to family, friends, or God. Sometimes though, a final statement includes words of hatred, disgust, or...

, he said:
After his final statement, the lethal injection

Lethal injection

Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...

was started and Cartwright was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.

See also