John Balentine: Texas death row inmate who shot dead 3 teens 25 years ago to be executed by lethal injection
HOUSTON, TEXAS: John Lezell Balentine, 54, a Texas man, is set to be executed Wednesday by lethal injection. Balentine is convicted of killing three teens in an Amarillo home. Lawyers, however, had tried making last-minute appeals raising questions about juror misconduct and allegations of racial prejudice at his trial.
It had remained unclear if he would be executed after the judge withdrew Balentine's execution date and warrant last week. The execution was postponed by the judge because the inmate's attorneys had not been properly warned of the impending lethal injection. State legislation requires such notification as state legislation requires this be notified.
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Balentine was 28 when he committed the murders
Balentine was sentenced to death over 25 years ago for shooting three teens in the head in January 1998 while they were asleep at a home in Amarillo. According to court records, Balentine had previously shared the home with his ex-girlfriend, Texas Tribune reported.
The victims were named Edward Mark Caylor, 17, Kai Brooke Geyer, 15, and Steven Watson, 15. Balentine was 28 years old at the time.
Caylor, one of the victims, was the brother of his ex-girlfriend
Prosecutors said that the shootings were the result of an argument between Caylor and Balentine. Caylor was the brother of Balentine's former girlfriend.
A divided Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday morning, February 8, reinstated the execution order and warrant at the request of prosecutors in Potter County where Balentine was convicted. Shawn Nolan, one of Balentine’s attorneys, said the reinstatement “will surely violate due process,” and he planned to file various appeals, including with the US Supreme Court as per ABC News.
Trial marred by racism?
Balentine's attorneys had also urged the Court of Criminal Appeals to halt the execution so they could submit fresh appeals based on information they had learned about the jury's decision to execute him. His attorneys claimed that they had fresh information regarding the jury Dory England, foreperson's long-standing racism in their request. According to the application, the foreperson believed that inter-racial partnerships, like the one Balentine had with his ex-girlfriend, were incorrect and frequently used the N-word and the phrase "I don't like Black people," as per the Tribune report.
A part of their petition included a statement from Lola Perkins who had been married to England’s brother and who said England “was racist against Black people because that is how he was raised.”
Third convict to be executed in Texas this year
Balentine is one of five death row convicts in Texas who had joined a lawsuit to prevent the use of allegedly hazardous and outdated execution medications by the state's prison system. Although a civil court judge in Austin initially agreed with the allegations, the state's highest two courts permitted the execution of two of the prisoners. They say the state's supply of medications for executions is safe.
Balentine would be the sixth prisoner executed in the United States this year and the third in Texas.