Arizona Executes Man For Brutal Rape, Murder Of Co-Workers

[News_Editor]

Arizona executes man for brutal rape, murder of co-workers < br />

2012-08-09 10:44:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

FLORENCE, ARIZONA (BNO NEWS) -- An Arizona man who tortured, raped and murdered two of his co-workers was executed by lethal injection Wednesday after spending nearly half his life on death row, prison officials said. He is the 26th person to be executed in the United States this year.

Daniel Cook, 51, was pronounced dead at 11:03 a.m. local time at Arizona State Prison Complex - Eyman in Florence, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix. It came several hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal by Cook's attorneys to block the execution.

His last meal on Tuesday night included eggplant lasagna, garlic cheese mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, broiled asparagus, root beer soda, and ice cream. The drug for his execution was administered at 10:26 a.m. local time on Wednesday and it took approximately 37 minutes before the sentence was carried out.

Cook's last moments were said to be emotional as he sobbed while making his last statement. "I'd like to say sorry to the victim's family. I know that's not enough," he said before taking a pause. "Where am I?" he then asked. "To my lawyers, thank you. Red Robin, yum. I'm done. I love you."

Cook was convicted of the brutal murder of 26-year-old Carlos Cruz-Ramos and 16-year-old Kevin Swaney in Lake Havasu City in 1987. Prosecutors said Cook had quit his job and on July 18 began drinking alcohol and smoking methamphetamine with his former co-worker John Matzke.

Cruz-Ramos confronted Cook and Matzke after he discovered they had stolen $90 money from him. But the two overpowered Cruz-Ramos, stripped off his clothing and bound him to a chair where they beat him with their fists and a pipe. Cook also cut Cruz-Ramos with a knife, raped him, burned his genitals with cigarettes and pierced a staple through his foreskin.

About six hours after the brutal assault began, after midnight, the Cook and Matzke attempted to strangle Cruz-Ramos with a sheet. They then continued to put a pipe over his throat and stood on it until he died.

Several hours later, Swaney arrived at the apartment and saw Cruz-Ramos, whose body had been dumped in a closet. Cook and Matzke then attacked Swaney, who was crying, and also tied him to a chair. Cook stripped off Swaney's clothing and raped him before Cook and Matzke strangled him with a bed sheet.

Matzke went to the police and was offered a plea agreement for 20 years in prison in exchange for his testimony against Cook, who had suffered severe sexual and physical abuse as a young child. Matzke was released from prison in July 2007 after he completed his 20-year sentence.

Cook was the fifth person to be executed in Arizona so far this year and the 26th in the United States. It came less than a day after 54-year-old Marvin Wilson was executed at Huntsville Unit in Walker County, Texas, for the shooting death of a police drug informant in November 1992.

The execution of Wilson was highly controversial because his attorneys claimed he was mentally handicapped. A psychological test conducted in 2004 pegged Wilson's IQ at 61, which would make him mentally retarded. But prosecutors and officials argued that the test was carried out by an inexperienced intern and pointed out that several other tests showed his IQ to be above 70.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-08-09

[coma]

Amen to that. 25 years on death row is too long. Not just for the prisoner but it must also be an ordeal for the families of the victims to bring it all to a head so long after the crime was committed. Not to mention they costs to the State for housing condemned inmates for such a long period of time. There has got to be a way to experdite these things.

I wonder how much of the eggplant lasagna, garlic cheese mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, broiled asparagus, root beer soda, and ice cream. He was actually able to stomach.

[dddave]

A vegetarian last meal...that's hilarious. If asked why vegetarian, he probably would have declared that it was morally wrong to kill animals for food.

[Bluespunk]

A vegetarian last meal...that's hilarious. If asked why vegetarian, he probably would have declared that it was morally wrong to kill animals for food.

Or perhaps after spending so much time behind bars without abusing drugs he came to see that his past actions were wrong and changed the way he lived his life. 25 years is a long time to reflect.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Bluespunk

[tw25rw]

Seems unfair that he should be executed, but his cohort gets only 20 years and be released for doing same.

[coma]

Seems unfair that he should be executed, but his cohort gets only 20 years and be released for doing same.

Yes. They have done their time and are out on the streets whilst he is getting excuted for the same crime.

[Ulysses G.]

This guy brutally raped, tortured and murdered two innocent young men with their whole lives ahead of them. I could care less what his IQ was. As far as his cohorts go, they should have gotten the same sentence that he did.

[SinCityGr8One]

Perhaps he thought that eating red meat wasn't good for his health. Whatever......Good Riddance.......Good job Arizona! Keep taking the trash out.

[SinCityGr8One]

Good job Texas.......Keep taking the trash out!