Pablo Lucio Vasquez

Background

Pablo Lucio Vasquez was a Hispanic male from Texas Department of Criminal Justice records. He was born on 08/11/1977 and received into custody on 03/30/1999 at age 21. He completed education through the highest grade completed of 8.

The offence

On 04/18/1998, during the nighttime in Donna, Texas, Pablo Lucio Vasquez and co-defendant Andy Chapa murdered a 12-year-old Hispanic male identified as David Cardenas.

Vasquez struck David Cardenas in the head with a piece of pipe and a shovel. The victim’s body was buried behind a residence located on Stites Road and FM 493. Vasquez took a ring and a necklace from the victim. Vasquez and Chapa met the victim at a local party before the killing.

Vasquez confessed to police. During the killing, Vasquez struck the boy with a metal pipe, slashed his neck, and drank the boy’s blood. Vasquez and the co-defendant dragged the boy to a field and attempted to bury him. Vasquez said that at one point he tried to remove the boy’s head with a shovel and also took the boy’s jewelry. Vasquez said the “devil” and other voices urged him on during the crime.

David Cardenas had been scalped, both arms and a foot were cut off, and some of his teeth were missing. His body was found under aluminum slabs in a vacant field on April 22. The boy was killed on the night of April 17-18.

The record states that robbery became the prosecution’s official motive because the boy’s jewelry was taken. Police speculation linked the killing to an occult ritual based on the timing of the killing and the way the boy was killed.

Investigation

Jurors were shown a videotaped confession played for jurors. The confession tape was recorded on April 23, the day after Vasquez was arrested.

In the tape, Vasquez said:

“One side of my head said, You did wrong,' “ “The other side said, Keep doing it. Keep doing it.'”

Vasquez told investigators that he and Andy Chapa were both drunk on the night of the killing. In the tape, Vasquez also told investigators he had had cocaine and marijuana.

After hitting Cardenas with a metal pipe, Vasquez recalled that he slit the boy’s throat with a knife. Vasquez said he hoisted the boy on his shoulder and drank the blood that was flowing freely from Cardenas’ wound. Vasquez said:

“My face was covered with his blood,”
“He was saying something. He was mumbling or something.”

Vasquez told police he tried to remove the boy’s head with a shovel, and he denied mutilating the body. The defendant said he was sorry he killed Cardenas and that he thought of suicide after the murder:

“I wanted to kill myself, too,” Vasquez said on the tape.

Other details

David Cardenas ended up attending a party with Vasquez and Vasquez’ 15-year-old cousin Andy Chapa. After the party, Vasquez killed Cardenas.

Sandra Ramirez, David Cardenas’ sister, lived with Cardenas in the nearby town of Alamo and was responsible for reporting him missing. Ms. Ramirez did not report her brother missing until April 20 because she thought he had been with relatives the entire weekend.

Several additional people were connected to events after the killing:

• Andy Chapa still faced a capital murder charge. If convicted, the maximum penalty he faced would be a life prison sentence because he was a juvenile at the time of the killing.
• Six others were accused of helping to cover up the crime, including two teen-age girls.

Donna Police Chief Miguel Carreon stated that Cardenas, Vasquez and Chapa had similar family backgrounds and said more parental involvement in the three young men’s lives could have prevented the series of events resulting in Cardenas’ death. Carreon described community responses and involvement after the killing, including reporting crimes and a donated armory to the local Boys and Girls Club, and that he regularly lectured schoolchildren about taking pride in themselves and their town.

Trial

On Friday, jurors sentenced Pablo Lucio Vasquez to death. Jurors deliberated for six hours Thursday and Friday before deciding that 21-year-old Pablo Lucio Vasquez should receive the death penalty for killing David Cardenas.

During the sentencing proceedings, Vasquez stood and listened to the verdict as jurors read it.

Oralia Palacios, the mother of victim David Cardenas, said:

“He deserves to die for killing my 12-year-old son,”
“He acted like a coward. Why couldn't he find someone his own size?”

Cardenas’ older sister, Hilda Cantu, clasped her hands throughout the reading of the verdict and began weeping silently when she heard Vasquez sentenced to death. She said:

“It's a big relief,”
“It's a big weight lifted off our shoulders.”

Vasquez’ mother, Maria Vasquez, said her son was sorry for what he did. She said:

“I would like to extend an apology to the (Cardenas) family,”
“(Vasquez) was a good son. He was loved by his family and friends. I can't believe something like this would happen.”

Outcome

Pablo Lucio Vasquez received the death penalty for killing David Cardenas. The death sentence was given in the boy’s death. The sentencing date was March 30, 1999.

Timeline

• 04/17/1998 — David Cardenas was supposed to spend the weekend at his aunt’s house in Donna and was dropped off at a store with the understanding he was to meet a friend there; he ended up attending a party with Vasquez and Andy Chapa.
• 04/18/1998 — Vasquez and co-defendant Andy Chapa murdered David Cardenas in Donna; Vasquez struck the victim with a metal pipe and a shovel, slashed his neck, and drank his blood; Vasquez and Chapa attempted to bury the body behind a residence located on Stites Road and FM 493.
• 04/20/1998 — Sandra Ramirez did not report her brother missing until this date, thinking he had been with relatives the entire weekend.
• 04/22/1998 — David Cardenas’ body was found under aluminum slabs in a vacant field on April 22.
• 04/23/1998 — The videotaped confession used in court was recorded on the day after Vasquez was arrested.
• 03/30/1999 — Pablo Lucio Vasquez was received (TDCJ) and later received a death sentence for the killing of David Cardenas.