Texas Inmate Executed for Murder of Girlfriend and Son

A 51-year-old man was executed in Texas on Wednesday for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son. Cedric Ricks was put to death by lethal injection at a prison in Huntsville.

Ricks was convicted of killing Roxanne Sanchez, 30, and her son. Another son of Sanchez, then 12 years old, survived the attack and testified at the trial.

This is the sixth execution in the United States since the beginning of 2026. In 2025, there were 47 executions in the US, more than double the average of the last decade.

Most executions in the US are carried out by lethal injection. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states.