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Gang member executed in Texas for double slaying

Martin Robles became the ninth Texas prisoner put to death this year

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AP Photo/Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Martin Robles was executed Wednesday for participating in the gang-related shooting deaths of a pair of Corpus Christi, Texas 19-year-olds.

By Michael Graczyk
The Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas prison officials have executed convicted killer Martin Robles for gunning down two young men who belonged to a rival street gang almost nine years ago.

The 33-year-old Robles had exhausted his appeals and no late court actions to spare him were made as his Wednesday evening lethal injection neared. He was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m. local time.

Robles became the ninth Texas prisoner put to death this year. He had a lengthy juvenile record and already had served six years for a murder committed when he was 17 when he was arrested for the double slaying in November 2002. The two 19-year-old victims were shot while they were sleeping and belonged to a drug-dealing gang that had been feuding with Robles’ gang.