HUNTSVILLE, Texas — One of the infamous "Texas 7" fugitives was executed by the State of Texas Wednesday night.
Donald Newbury was put to death for his role in the murder of an Irving police officer on Christmas Eve in 2000. He was declared dead by lethal injection at 6:25 p.m.
His last words — "I love you all" — were said after quoting scripture.
Extra guards were on duty anticipating possible aggressive behavior by Newbury, but they were not needed.
The Irving police chief and a group of officers stood vigil outside the Walls Unit of the Texas State Penitentiary where the sentence was carried out. As the lethal drugs began to take effect on the convicted killer, the officers revved their motorcycles.
New Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was also present for the execution.
In the minutes leading up to his death, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal by Newbury's lawyers, who argued that his trial lawyers had failed to show that he suffered psychological damage from childhood abuse.
Newbury's life had been spared once before — when a stay was issued one week before he was supposed to die in 2012.
The Irving police chief and a group of officers waited outside the Walls Unit, where Newbury will be put to death for the murder of Officer Aubrey Hawkins.
Newbury and six other inmates staged the state's largest prison break in 2000. They broke into a sporting goods store on Christmas Eve and shot and killed the 29-year-old Irving police officer. The suspects were captured a few weeks later in Colorado.
Newbury has a lengthy criminal record. He was serving 99 years for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon out of Travis County at the time of his escape. And since arriving on death row in 2002, he's been pegged for 55 other crimes -- including using a weapon to assault prison staff and participating in a riot.
Prior to the 2000 escape, Newbury had been in and out of jail, but always returned. He was paroled in 1985 from a 10-year sentence and then again in 1992 from a 15-year sentence.
Both were for aggravated robbery convictions.
Three more of the "Texas 7" remain on death row. Another killed himself to avoid capture. Two have already been executed.
WFAA reporter Carla Wade and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
