Ignacio Gomez

Background

Ignacio Gomez was a Hispanic male. He was born in 1969 and was a Mexican national. His education level was 12. He had no previous prison record. His prior occupation was laborer, and his prior prison record was none.

At the time of the offences, Gomez was 26 years old. He was residing in El Paso with relatives.

The offence

On 11/23/96, during the nighttime, in El Paso, Ignacio Gomez fatally shot an 18-year-old white male and two 16-year-old white males with a 357-caliber pistol.

Gomez observed the three males walking down the road near his mother's residence. Gomez thought they were the ones who had broken into his mother's residence. Gomez and three co-defendants got into a fight with the three males. Gomez shot the three white males repeatedly in the head and then buried them in the sand dunes in the desert.

The killings involved retaliation for some broken windows at the home of Gomez's mother. The victims were Michael Meredith and Matthew Meredith, who were 16-year-old twin brothers, and Toby Hatheway Jr., who was 19-year-old.

Investigation

Gomez's companions turned themselves in and confessed. Their information led authorities to Gomez. Gomez also confessed and told detectives where they could find the murder weapon.

In Gomez's confession, he described the shooting of the third victim and said:

"the last guy ... sit next to his friends"
and then shot him in the head and "shot him some more."

Gomez also said he:

"just went out of control"
because his mother had been frightened after the windows at her home were broken.

Trial

A fight broke out after Gomez and several companions rode in an SUV approached the victims on a dirt road. After the fight broke out, Gomez pulled a handgun and opened fire, hitting one of the victims in the head. He continued to fire, striking the second victim. After reloading, a fleeing third victim was tracked down and shot in the head. The three victims were then driven away and buried.

Gomez's legal arguments before and during the capital murder trial included claims that police who arrested him should have told him of his right to legal assistance from the Mexican consulate and that police who took his confession knew he was a resident alien but did not advise him of his Vienna Convention rights. The attorneys argued unsuccessfully.

Gomez also argued potential jurors were excluded improperly from his trial jury.

Gomez further argued that jurors should have been told that a life sentence would have meant 40 years in prison before he could be eligible for parole.

At trial, testimony showed the broken windows at his mother's home were the reason Gomez said he acted “out of control.”

Prosecutors at trial showed Gomez had at least three convictions for driving while intoxicated. Prosecutors also showed he had been arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon and once tried to run down someone with a truck.

Gomez was about a week short of his 27th birthday at the time of the shootings.

Sentencing

Ignacio Gomez was sentenced to death on December 10, 1998.

Appeals

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit refused to allow Gomez to move forward with additional appeals.

The Fifth Circuit withheld ruling on Gomez's request for a certificate of appealability until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in another Texas case with similar international treaty issues. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected that appeal in March, affecting Gomez and more than a dozen other Mexican nationals on Texas death row.

The Fifth Circuit ruling specifically dealt with Gomez's case and rejected his claims.

Gomez was denied COA by the Fifth Circuit on May 28, 2008.

Outcome

Ignacio Gomez lost a federal court appeal and was moved a step closer to execution after the Fifth Circuit refused additional appeals.

Other details

Co-defendants named were Jose Gomez, Roberto Guillen, and Joel. Gomez and co-defendants observed the victims near Gomez's mother's residence before the fight.

Gomez was detained in the TDCJ system as TX DR Inmate #999290.

Gomez's date of receipt was 12/10/1998, when he was 29 years old. His date of offense was 11/23/1996, when he was 26 years old.

Gomez's physical descriptors included hair color Black and height 5' 6", weight 155, with brown eyes.