Everyone knows you “don’t mess with Texas,” and one of the reasons why is because the state uses the death penalty more than any other state in the country.

On Wednesday night, Texas – one of the 32 states that uses capital punishment – executed its 500th person since reinstating the death penalty in 1982.

Kimberly McCarthy, convicted of murdering her elderly neighbor in 1997, was also the first woman put to death in the U.S. in almost three years, the Huffington Post reported.

The article said:

Texas has carried out nearly 40 percent of the more than 1,300 executions in the U.S. since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. The state’s standing stems from its size as the nation’s second-most populous state as well as its tradition of tough justice for killers.

Executions of women are infrequent. McCarthy was the 13th woman put to death in the U.S. and the fourth in Texas…

Virginia is a distant second, nearly 400 executions behind.

McCarthy’s attorney Maurie Levin gave the typical statement that the death penalty is pointless and unfair.

“500 is 500 too many,” Levin said. “I look forward to the day when we recognize that this pointless and barbaric practice, imposed almost exclusively on those who are poor and disproportionately on people of color, has no place in a civilized society.”

“Pointless and barbaric” would actually be how McCarthy brutally beat and stabbed to death Dorothy Booth, her 71-year-old neighbor, and then cut off two of Booth’s fingers to get her wedding ring. She later pawned the ring for money to purchase crack cocaine, the Post reported.

McCarthy’s execution was the eighth in 2013, and there are seven more executions scheduled in Texas over the remainder of the year.

More from the Huffington Post.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Janeen Capizola

"And though she be but little, she is fierce." And fun! This conservative-minded political junkie, mom of three, dancer and one-time NFL cheerleader holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science. [email protected]. Twitter: @JaneenBPR

Latest posts by Janeen Capizola (see all)

• The joke that may have lost John Kerry all his friends at CNN - March 10, 2014
• ‘What could have been’ reunion pic: Romney, Ryan family bump into each other in airport - March 10, 2014
• GOP battle begins; lawmakers jockey to replace Issa as House Oversight chair - March 10, 2014

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.