HOUSTON (AP) — Gov. Rick Perry is rebuffing criticism from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others for allowing Texas to move forward with the execution of a Mexican man.
The man's lawyers said he never was informed he could have sought legal help from the Mexican government after he was arrested for the murder of a San Antonio teenager.
Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said Friday someone who commits the most heinous crimes in Texas can expect the ultimate penalty.
Humberto Leal was put to death Thursday evening in Huntsville for a gruesome attack in 1994 that left a 16-year-old San Antonio girl dead.
Clinton's spokeswoman says she is disappointed with the punishment. A top United Nations official in Geneva also has expressed dismay, saying the U.S. broke international law.
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