Bio

Roderick Abeyta was raised near San Francisco. He said his father abused him when he was a child. After that, he went into foster homes. He later spent time in California Youth Authority camps.

He began using methamphetamine at age 14. He said his drug addiction grew worse over time. He also said he felt he had no one to blame for his later choices. He said his actions were his own decisions and that his family or culture were not to blame.

Murder Story

In October 1989, Roderick Abeyta and his half-brother, Casey Korsmo, broke a window to enter the home of Abeyta's former girlfriend, Donna Martin. They went there looking for drugs and other property to finance a drug binge. Martin was apparently passed out from drug use when they entered. Abeyta sat on her back, grabbed her hair, and shot her twice in the head while she slept.

Abeyta admitted that he killed Donna Martin. Korsmo later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is serving a life term with the possibility of parole. A jury convicted Abeyta in 1996 for the October 1989 killing.

Abeyta did not pursue further appeals in his own defense. He wrote a judge saying he wanted to be executed and that he wanted to be held accountable. In a September interview, he said he did not wish to "manipulate the system."

Abeyta was executed by lethal injection on October 5, 1998, at the Nevada State Prison. As prison officials led him into the death chamber, he looked at three members of Donna Martin's family and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He refused a pre-execution sedative. The chemicals began flowing at 12:13 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at 12:15 a.m.

On his final day, Abeyta spent time on the telephone and had visits from prison chaplains. He ate the regular prison meal and requested vanilla ice cream as a special item. Prison officials reported some delay locating a usable vein because of collapsed veins from prior drug use, and Abeyta assisted by suggesting where a second needle might go. About 30 protesters gathered outside the prison during the execution.