In a somber moment on Wednesday, a Texas death row inmate offered a heartfelt apology to the surviving son of his victims just moments before his execution. Cedric Ricks, who was 51 years old, expressed remorse for the tragic loss he caused by killing his ex-girlfriend and her young son in 2013.
Addressing the family members who were present at the Huntsville Unit prison, Ricks sought forgiveness for taking the lives of Roxann Sanchez and her 8-year-old son, Anthony Figueroa. Speaking through a glass window, he implored the family to eventually find it in their hearts to forgive him.
Ricks was found guilty of capital murder in 2014 following the brutal stabbing of Sanchez and her son during a dispute at Sanchez’s Bedford apartment, a community located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which took place in May 2013.
“I cannot fathom the pain I have caused you,” Ricks told the family. “I’m grateful to have the chance to address you directly. I hope that someday forgiveness will ease your pain.”
On March 10, 2026, Cedric Ricks faced execution for the horrific 2013 killings of Roxann Sanchez and her son, Anthony Figueroa.
Among those witnessing the execution was Marcus Figueroa, who survived the attack at the age of 12. He stood just a few feet from Ricks, displaying no emotion. The scars on his neck, visible above his shirt collar, served as lasting reminders of the near-fatal assault he endured.
“And to Marcus, I always thought about you, and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away,” Ricks said. “I hate that you had to experience that… I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.”
“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,” he added.
Ricks was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT after receiving a lethal injection of pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
According to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, prosecutors said Ricks and Sanchez were arguing when her two sons attempted to intervene. Ricks grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Sanchez multiple times before turning the weapon on the boys.
Marcus Figueroa was stabbed 25 times but survived after pretending to be dead until Ricks left the apartment.
Ricks did not harm his own then-9-month-old son, Isaiah, according to court records cited by The Associated Press.
The Huntsville Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas, where Cedric Ricks was put to death. (Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images)
Sanchez died from stab wounds to the neck, blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxia, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Ricks fled in Sanchez’s car and called family members to confess to the killings. Authorities traced his cellphone and arrested him in Garvin County, Oklahoma, and he was extradited back to Texas.
At trial, Ricks acknowledged he struggled with anger and claimed he had been defending himself after the boys came to their mother’s aid, according to the AP. He had appeared in court the day before the killings on a prior assault charge involving Sanchez, the outlet reported.
File photo of The Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas, where prisoners from death row are executed. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ricks’ final appeal Wednesday without comment. His attorneys had argued prosecutors improperly struck potential jurors based on race, but the Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records showed the jury selection decisions were race-neutral and had already been upheld by lower courts.
Earlier in the week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request for clemency or a temporary reprieve.
