Richard Lee Tabler, 46, was executed in Texas on Thursday for the 2004 murders of Mohammed-Amine Rahmouni and Haitham Zayed. Tabler lured the two men to a remote location under the guise of purchasing stolen stereo equipment and then shot them. The murders stemmed from a dispute with Rahmouni, co-owner of the TeaZers club, who had allegedly threatened Tabler's family. Before his execution, Tabler expressed remorse to the victims' families, acknowledging the pain he caused and asking for their forgiveness. He also admitted to killing two teenage dancers at the club, Tiffany Loraine Dotson, 18, and Amanda Benefield, 16, two days after the initial murders. Tabler claimed he killed them out of fear they would implicate him in the deaths of Rahmouni and Zayed. While strapped to the gurney, Tabler thanked prison officials, stating they had shown him compassion and helped him change. He offered repeated apologies and declared he was ready for a new life in heaven. As the lethal injection began, he mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." Tabler's execution concludes a two-decade legal process. He had requested courts to halt his appeals, though his legal team raised questions about his mental competency. In 2008, Tabler caused a major prison lockdown after smuggling in a cell phone and making death threats against then-state Sen. John Whitmire, now the mayor of Houston. The execution brought a sense of closure for the victims' families, with Dotson's father and godfather expressing relief at seeing justice served.
