Trigger Warning: This article contains details of violence and death. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
A Texas death row inmate, Cedric Ricks, used his final words to apologize to the victim’s surviving family members before being executed for his crime. He was executed on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, by lethal injection. Ricks was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville.
According to reports by Fox News and The Associated Press, Ricks used the opportunity of saying his last words as a means to earn forgiveness from the victim’s family. He attacked and killed his now-late ex-girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son, Anthony Figueroa, on May 1, 2013.
The publication noted Ricks’ final remarks to Sanchez’s son, Marcus Figueroa, who was 12 at the time. Figueroa was also attacked but survived despite the severity of his injuries. Ricks, who was on a gurney, prepped for the injection and looked at Figueroa, who is now an adult.
FINAL APOLOGY: Texas death row inmate Cedric Ricks addressed victims’ families before his execution, telling murdered ex-girlfriend’s surviving son he stabbed 25 times: “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.” https://t.co/STc6YWI2uQ
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) March 12, 2026
The executioner asked Ricks for his last words. Ricks apologized and urged them to one day find it in their hearts to forgive him. He said, “I can’t imagine the pain it has caused you… I’m glad I’m able to speak to tell y’all that face-to-face.”
His final words were addressed to Sanchez’s surviving son. He looked at Figueroa and apologized for forever separating him from his mother’s and brother’s presence in his life. He also said, “I hate that you had to experience that… I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.”
His last words were this: “I hope to find Roxann and Anthony in heaven, and I can tell them I’m sorry face-to-face. I hope y’all go in peace.” Shortly after he uttered his last words, the lethal injection was administered, and he quietly died.
According to records by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Ricks got into a heated argument with Roxann. This eventually led him to grab a kitchen knife and attack his girlfriend and her two sons with it.
Last statement from Cedric Ricks, who was executed tonight in Texas: pic.twitter.com/HM1Lykhn0y
— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) March 12, 2026
Roxann reportedly had stab wounds to her neck, back of the neck, chest, hands, and face. As a result of these fatal wounds, she was pronounced dead on the spot when medics and authorities arrived. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office listed the cause of death. Sanchez died from stab wounds to the neck, asphyxia, and blunt force trauma to the head.
Records show Ricks used the same knife to attack the 8-year-old boy. He stabbed Anthony in the same manner as his mother. Figueroa, who is likely 24 years old now, survived being stabbed 25 times. Figueroa attended the execution. Reports noted that scars and healed wounds from the attack were still visible on him.
Ricks also spared one person: his own son, Isaiah. The infant was only 9 months old at the time. After stabbing the late victims, he fled from the scene without harming his infant. The Oklahoma police arrested him in Garvin County, the same night that he’d left.
Ricks called a family member and confessed to the killings of his girlfriend and her son. This led to his arrest by the Oklahoma police. He was then extradited to Tarrant County, Texas.
NEWS: SCOTUS will not stop Texas from killing Cedric Ricks today. There were no noted dissents.
If Texas proceeds with today’s scheduled execution, it will be Texas’s second execution this year and the sixth execution in the U.S. in 2026. pic.twitter.com/zPYd3muR9x
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) March 11, 2026
The legal proceedings lasted nearly 13 years. They began with his arrest and ended at his execution. On May 8, 2014, a jury found him guilty of Capital Murder of multiple persons. The jury reached its verdict in less than an hour.
His sentencing took place on May 16, 2014. This time, the jury debated over whether or not they should proceed with the death penalty for Ricks. And after seven hours, they sentenced him to death by lethal injection.
Ricks attempted to revoke the death penalty through multiple appeals over the years. However, his final appeal was rejected just before his execution on Wednesday. The judge reportedly rejected the appeal without a single comment.
