David Renteria is scheduled for execution in Texas on November 16, 2023 for the 2001 murder of Alexandra Flores. Renteria maintains his innocence.

The following information is from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty:

David Renteria was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in El Paso County for the 2001 murder of five-year-old Alexandra Flores.

According to Renteria, members of the Barrio Azteca gang, a notorious cross-border prison gang and drug cartel, threatened and coerced him into leading Alexandra out of a Walmart and into their car. The Aztecas then murdered Alexandra and forced Renteria to assist in the placement of her body. He is deeply remorseful for the coerced role he played in Alexandra’s murder and is haunted by what he witnessed that day.

Fifteen years after Renteria was convicted, the State disclosed that a witness had come forward with evidence corroborating his longstanding insistence that he acted under duress on the day Alexandra disappeared. No court has properly examined this new evidence due to the woefully inadequate legal representation Renteria received during the appellate process. Moreover, El Paso prosecutors have fought to prevent the information from coming to light.

Renteria was raised as a Tigua Indian in the Roman Catholic tradition, growing up in the lower valley of El Paso on the Tigua reservation in Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, one of three federally recognized Native American tribes in Texas. The Catholic Church played a significant role in his childhood, providing him with a sense of safety, peace, and comfort that was missing at home.  As a child, Renteria did his best to protect his mother and sister from his father’s temper and abusive behavior, which created an atmosphere of violence, hostility, and fear.

On death row, Renteria rededicated himself to his Roman Catholic faith and discovered a new purpose in life behind bars. He was one of 28 men chosen for the first class of the Faith Based Program for Death Row, through which he takes every opportunity to encourage and comfort people spiritually and to engage in positive, peaceful interactions. In his over twenty years of incarceration, Renteria has been a model inmate who has never once committed a violent or aggressive act.

Please sign this petition and watch for an e-mail with follow-up opportunities for further action.

Texas' aggressive execution schedule marks it as an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions. In the last few years, Texas has been one of only a handful of states that have carried out death sentences - and it continues to do so targeting the poor, the mentally ill and people of color.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.

Additionally, you may reach out now to the Board at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/ and (512) 463-1782. You can simply leave a voice message, or choose to speak to a representative if you prefer.

Please note: In Texas, the Governor does have limited power when it comes to the death penalty. But the story we are told that "it's out of the governor's hands," is only true if we allow it to be. Yes, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles must recommend clemency in that state in order for the Governor to grant clemency (mercy) by commuting a death sentence. But the fact is that the governor appoints the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. He can choose to appoint members who will take valid claims and concerns more seriously, instead of acting like rubber-stamping gate-keepers. He can still use his position of power and influence to enact justice in the State of Texas.