A Texas man is scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville for the 2004 murder of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson in Farmersville, Texas, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed.
According to court records, Moises Sandoval Mendoza, 41, strangled and stabbed Tolleson after luring her from her home.
Investigators reported that he later burned her body in a field behind his residence. Mendoza, who knew the victim as a former classmate, confessed to the crime before his 2005 trial.
A jury convicted Mendoza and sentenced him to death later that year. The courts have upheld the verdict through nearly two decades of appeals. Mendoza’s legal team most recently petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay of execution, but the high court had not intervened as of Wednesday morning.
Tolleson’s family has publicly supported the execution, stating that it represents long-awaited justice and closure. The crime, committed in March 2004, drew widespread attention due to its brutality and the young age of the victim.
During Mendoza’s trial, prosecutors presented his confession along with forensic evidence and witness accounts.
Defense attorneys challenged aspects of the trial and sentencing but failed to overturn the conviction in state and federal courts.
Advocacy groups opposing capital punishment have called for clemency, citing Mendoza’s background and mental health history. Despite these appeals, state officials moved forward with the execution process.
