Southwest
Texas death row inmate mouths final 2-word message to victims' families before execution
A remorseful death row inmate pleaded for forgiveness and mouthed one final message before being put to death in Texas on Thursday, 20 years after he killed his strip club manager and another man.
Richard Lee Tabler, 46, also admitted to killing two teenage dancers at the club and said he had found God during his two decades in prison.
“I had no right to take your loved ones from you, and I ask and pray, hope and pray, that one day you find it in your hearts to forgive me for those actions,” Tabler said strapped to the death chamber gurney, looking at relatives of his victims who watched through a window a few feet away. “No amount of my apologies will ever return them to you.”
Richard Lee Tabler seen in a photograph.
FLORIDA NEWLYWEDS GET JUSTICE AFTER FAMILY FISHING TRIP ENDED IN MURDER
He told the victims’ family members that there wasn’t a day that went by in which he didn’t regret his actions and thanked prison officials for their compassion and show that he could “change and become a better man and rehabilitate.”
After apologizing several more times, Tabler said that it was the beginning of a new life for him in heaven.
He told the warden at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, “I am finished,” and as the drugs began pouring into his body he mouthed once again, “I’m sorry.”
Tabler then began breathing quickly. After about a dozen breaths, all movement stopped.
Tabler shot and killed Mohammed-Amine Rahmouni, 28, and Haitham Zayed, 25, in a remote area near Killeen in Central Texas on Thanksgiving 2004 after luring them there on the false pretense of buying stolen stereo equipment.
Rahmouni was the co-owner of a club called TeaZers and the two had fallen out.
Investigators said Rahmouni allegedly said he could have Tabler’s family “wiped out” for $10.
The Huntsville Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas, (Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images)
Two days later, Tabler shot and killed an 18-year-old dancer at the club, Tiffany Loraine Dotson, who he said he had been seeing, along with another dancer, 16-year-old Amanda Benefield.
Tabler was convicted of killing the two men and sentenced to death, so prosecutors didn’t need to pursue the conviction for the young women’s murders, Paul McWilliams, who prosecuted Tabler nearly two decades ago, told USA Today.
“The murder of the men was as cold-blooded as it could be,” McWilliams said. “The killing of the girls was just senseless. There was absolutely no reason for that.”
BRYAN KOHBERGER CASE: IDAHO MAKES KEY MOVE ON FIRING SQUAD EXECUTIONS
Dotson’s father, George, was among the witnesses. He declined to comment on Tabler’s apologies, saying he needed time to process what he had just seen but was glad to have seen it.
“I couldn’t wait,” he said. “It took me 20 years to get here.”
“Today is for Tiffany,” said her godfather, Tom Newton. “And this is justice.”
In 2008, Tabler prompted a massive lockdown at the 150,000-inmate prison when he smuggled a cellphone into the facility and began making death-threat phone calls to then-state Sen. John Whitmire, who is now the mayor of Houston. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
During the sentencing phase of his trial, prosecutors introduced Tabler’s written and videotaped statements saying he killed Dotson and Benefield because he was worried they would tell people he had killed the men.
Tabler had asked several times for courts to stop his appeals and let him be executed. His lawyers questioned whether he was mentally competent.
In 2008, he prompted a massive lockdown throughout the state’s 150,000-inmate prison system when he smuggled a cellphone into the state penitentiary in Huntsville and began making death-threat phone calls to then-state Sen. John Whitmire, who is now the mayor of Houston.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
-
A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
-
News16 minutes agoA day after Alito’s testy response to Sotomayor’s dissent, court says it was a ‘misunderstanding’
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoWatch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoMetro Detroit weather forecast, June 26, 2026 — 4 p.m. Update
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoNewlyweds celebrate Pride-themed weddings inside SF City Hall as parade preparations underway
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoAll Dallas restaurants firing up specials for July 4th and America’s 250th
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoHelping Venezuela: State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoPhotos: Norway takes on France in high-powered World Cup matchup in Foxborough – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver Transplant Games sets Guinness World Record for mos living donors, recipients in one place at one time
