Dallas, Texas – A Texas inmate who had been adamant about his innocence in a double murder case more than two decades old was executed on Wednesday evening. Ivan Cantu, convicted in 2001, was put to death for the fatal shooting of his cousin, James Mosqueda, and Mosqueda’s girlfriend, Amy Kitchen in November 2000. Cantu’s long-standing claim that the conviction was based on false testimony and questionable evidence persisted even in his final words from the execution chamber, where he professed his innocence.
According to prosecutors, Cantu killed his cousin and Kitchen in an attempt to steal drugs, cash, and marijuana from his cousin’s residence in north Dallas. Despite Cantu’s insistence that a rival drug dealer was responsible for the murder due to a money dispute, he was convicted and sentenced to death.
Before Cantu’s execution, his attorney, Gena Bunn, decided against filing a final appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court as there seemed to be no viable path for the case to be reviewed. Efforts to delay Cantu’s execution garnered support from various individuals, including faith leaders, celebrities like Kim Kardashian and actor Martin Sheen, as well as U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and his brother, Julian Castro. Even three jurors from Cantu’s trial expressed doubts about the case.
District Attorney Greg Willis, who prosecuted Cantu, remained firm in his belief in Cantu’s guilt, stating that the evidence presented at trial solidified Cantu’s role in the murders. However, Cantu’s clemency application cited new evidence that challenged the integrity of the state’s case for guilt, suggesting the possibility of executing an innocent man.
One of Cantu’s trial attorneys, Matthew Goeller, revealed in a 2005 affidavit that Cantu had confessed to killing Mosqueda for a drug deal gone wrong and eliminating Kitchen to prevent her from being a witness. Cantu’s then-girlfriend, the prosecution’s main witness, testified against him, but allegations of false statements in her testimony arose after her death in 2021.
Bunn emphasized the significance of new witness statements that aligned with Cantu’s claims of a prior threat made by a drug supplier to Mosqueda before the killings. An independent investigation by private investigator Matt Duff unearthed substantial new evidence, detailed in a podcast titled “Cousins By Blood.”
While the case against Cantu seemed conclusive to the prosecution, the defense’s efforts to challenge the evidence and testimony persisted, raising questions about the integrity of the conviction. Despite the execution proceeding without further delay, the debate over Cantu’s guilt continues to spark controversy and calls for a thorough review of the case.