Travis James Mullis was executed in Texas for the 2008 murder of his infant son, Alijah. Mullis was convicted of molesting, stomping, and abandoning the 3-month-old at Galveston’s Seawall. He claimed he reached a breaking point due to the baby’s crying. Mullis was executed despite questions about his guilt, among five inmates scheduled for execution in the U.S. in a six-day period.
Mullis had a history of disturbing behavior, including trying to get a child to remove their pants, and he and Alijah’s mother were struggling financially. Mullis confessed to police that he couldn’t get Alijah to stop crying, leading him to molest and kill the infant.
Alijah’s grandmother described him as extraordinarily beautiful, with steel blue eyes and reddish hair. She visited him shortly before his murder and planned to visit again. Mullis was executed by lethal injection, becoming the 16th inmate to be executed in the U.S. this year.
Critics say Mullis wasn’t given a fair review of the constitutionality of his sentence, with one of his defense attorneys calling it a systemic failure. Despite the execution, questions remain about Mullis’ guilt and the circumstances surrounding Alijah’s tragic death.
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