Ruben Cantu

Ruben Montoya Cantu (December 5, 1966 – August 24, 1993) was an American convicted murderer who was executed for a murder committed when he was 17 years old. During the years following the conviction, the surviving victim, the co-defendant, the district attorney, and the jury forewoman made public statements that cast doubt on Cantu's guilty verdict. This resulted in Cantu's case being posthumously reviewed. In 2007, a 113-page report concluded that Cantu's conviction was justified.

The report found that the recantations were inconsistent, unfounded, and/or tainted by a private investigator who was working on behalf of opponents of the death penalty. One had changed his story at least 8 times, one recanted only after receiving $1,000 meals, and a hotel room, then being subjected to questioning that was "improper and highly suggestive." Cantu had also repeatedly implicated himself in the murder to his friends, his lawyers, and even prison officials.

Cantu was implicated in and admitted his guilt to several lesser crimes, including an incident in which he shot an off-duty police officer four times. However, he maintained his innocence to the end in the murder. Shortly after his conviction, Cantu wrote a note to the people of San Antonio saying: "I have been framed in a capital murder case. I was framed because I shot an off-duty police officer named Joe De La Luz."

Background Ruben Cantu grew up with his mother and father until the age of 14, when the couple split up, with Ruben's mother moving 20 miles (32 km) away and Ruben and his father continuing to live in a trailer in a crime-ridden south San Antonio barrio. The neighborhood was home to a loose band of tough kids called the Grey Eagles, of which Cantu became a leader despite being rather small and in special-ed classes at school. By age 15, he was stealing cars for an organized auto theft ring, often spending days at a time driving stolen cars to Mexico for cash. When the San Antonio Police Department was embroiled in scandal, with vigilantes and drug-dealing officers well known to the community, Cantu was stealing cars and dodging the police. His older brothers had been arrested on drug and theft charges, but despite several run-ins with the police, Ruben never was convicted of anything before the November 1984 crime that led to his execution. The key trial witness, however, was Juan Moreno, the shooting survivor, who repeatedly identified Ruben Cantu in court.

A decade after Cantu was executed, Moreno recanted his story as did Garza.

Police revive investigation after Cantu shoots off-duty officer According to Juan Moreno, consistent with police records, he was visited by police in the hospital the day after the shooting. But, due to the severity of his wounds, he was unable to speak and could barely move. Five days later, in a second interview, Moreno was shown several photos. Cantu's photo was not included, and Moreno did not identify any of the people shown in the photos. On December 16, detectives visited Moreno a third time and showed him another array of five photos, including one of Ruben Cantu, who lived across the street from Moreno's job site where the crime occurred. He did not identify Ruben or anyone else from the photos shown to him during that police interview.

The case went cold, and no suspect was arrested. About four months after the robbery-murder, Cantu shot Joe De La Luz, an off-duty, plainclothes police officer, at the Scabaroo Lounge, a bar near Cantu's home. According to Cantu, the officer threatened him, revealing his concealed weapon, provoking Cantu (who was also armed) to fire at De La Luz, whom he did not know was a police officer. According to De La Luz, he was shot four times by Cantu despite no provocation.

Execution Shortly after being convicted by a jury of capital murder and sentenced, Cantu wrote a note to the people of San Antonio saying: "I have been framed in a capital murder case. I was framed because I shot an off-duty police officer named Joe De La Luz."

David Garza, Cantu's codefendant, has since admitted involvement in the burglary, assault and murder. He says he went inside the house with another boy, participated in the robbery, and saw the murder occur, but that his accomplice was not Ruben Cantu. According to Garza, the real murderer was Ramiro Reyes. This person, whose only criminal record is a single misdemeanor domestic assault conviction, denied that he had anything to do with the robbery and murder when he was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle in 2005.

In 2007, Reed issued a 113-page report finding that Ruben Cantu was guilty of the crime for which Texas executed him in 1993. The three witnesses who have professed Cantu's innocence were found inconsistent, unfounded, and/or tainted by a private investigator who was working on behalf of opponents of the death penalty. Garza had changed his story at least 8 times, Moreno recanted after receiving $1,000 meals, and a hotel room, and under questioning that was "improper and highly suggestive."

During his admission interview with prison officials after his capital murder conviction, Cantu continued to implicate himself. He described the victim, the weapon used, and, when asked to explain the crime, he said, "it was a robbery." Inmates were not required to give information about the underlying offense and Garza had not done so.