Richard Michael Cartwright (February 11, 1974 – May 19, 2005)Offender Information
. '' Texas Department of Criminal Justice''. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. *Dead link (error 404)Richard Cartwright
''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. was a

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

inmate and activist who was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

by the state of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

for the stabbing and shooting of 37-year-old Nick Moraida during a robbery in Corpus Christi on August 1, 1996. Cartwright became known with the Abolishment of the Death Penalty Movement after contributing to a series of articles known as '' Uncensored from Texas Death Row''. After his execution, Clinton Lee Young, (removed from Texas Death Row January 2022), took over the ''Uncensored from Texas Death Row'' articles. Cartwright never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death, however, he claimed innocence of the shooting and stabbing of Moraida throughout his life on Death Row. Richard Cartwright, Dennis Hagood and Kelly Overstreet hatched a plan to rob a gay man by posing as male prostitutes. They thought such a victim would be an easy target because he would be less apt to report the robbery to police. They met 37-year-old Nick Moraida after he pulled up in a small black sports car. The trio invited Moraida to go drinking with them at a remote gulfside park. When they reached the secluded area, Cartwright pulled out a gun and said, "This is a robbery. Put your hands on the cement all" At the same time, Overstreet held a knife to Moraida's neck. Their plan turned deadly when Moraida refused to give up and tried to flee. One of the men tried to stab Moraida but could not kill him. According to Hagood and Overstreet, Cartwright then shot him in the back with a .38 caliber pistol. Hagood and Overstreet both testified against Cartwright in exchange for reduced sentences; Hagood received 20 years imprisonment and Overstreet received 50 years. Death penalty proponents argue that Cartwright confessed to the murder when he apologized to the family of the victim during his last statement. However, his supporters point out that he never denied being a part of the robbery which resulted in Moraida's death and was apologizing for being involved. Several months after Cartwright's death, his supporters still claim he had an effect on the abolishment movement against the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

, including among his fellow inmates. For his last meal, Cartwright requested fried chicken, a cheeseburger, onion rings, french fries, bacon, sausage, cheesecake, and cinnamon rolls.Texas Last Meal - Richard Cartwright
''Dead Man Eating'' (2005-05-22). Retrieved on 2007-11-25. When asked if he had a final statement, he said: After his final statement, the

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

was started and Cartwright was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Richard 1974 births 2005 deaths 21st-century executions of American people 21st-century executions by Texas American people convicted of robbery American people executed for murder People convicted of murder by Texas People executed by Texas by lethal injection Violence against gay men in the United States

See also

References