Famous Last Words
Carlos Alberto Granados
Texas
January 9, 2007
“Kathy, you know I never meant to hurt you. I gave you everything and that’s what made me so angry. But I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry.”
Granados was executed by lethal injection for an attack on September 13, 1998. Granados had been living with his girlfriend, Katherine Jiminez, and her 3-year-old son when an argument between Jiminez and Granados broke out, leading to Jiminez being stabbed 30 times with a large kitchen knife. Granados then stabbed the toddler, Anthony Jiminez, to death. Jiminez survived her wounds, remaining in her apartment with Granados and her son’s body until the next day when police made a welfare concern call after her family grew concerned when she failed to go to work or drop Anthony off with them at the regularly scheduled time. Police found Granados holding a bloody knife and successfully apprehended him without further injury to Granados, Jiminez, or police officers.
According to a court affidavit, the events of the attack proceeded as follows:
Appellant wanted Katherine to join him in a nap that afternoon, but she refused, because she needed to finish chores around the apartment and because she did not want to take a nap while Anthony was awake. Meanwhile, Anthony was in the living room watching television.
Appellant, angry that Katherine would not take a nap with him, knocked a plate of food from her hand. The two then retreated to the bedroom where they began arguing. At that point, Katherine told appellant, “I don’t even want to talk to you anymore. I don’t want to look at you. I don’t want you to be around me ···· I don’t want you here. Just get your things and leave.” Appellant said, “You want me to leave?” and Katherine said, “Yeah, I want you to leave.” A brief cooling off period ensued, and the two began talking again. During this time, Katherine’s sister Elizabeth called, but appellant said Katherine was busy and hung up the telephone. Katherine told appellant to “get his stuff and leave.” Katherine then repeated that she wanted him to leave.
Appellant left the room, and when he came back asked again, “You want me to leave?” and she said that she did. Angered, appellant said, “Fuck it. Fuck it,” and attacked Katherine with a knife. He stabbed her repeatedly and slashed her throat. Then, apparently, the knife broke. Katherine struggled and attempted to placate appellant by telling him that she loved him. Eventually, appellant began crying, afraid that he would go to jail. Katherine said that she would contrive a false story about her injuries if appellant would simply leave.
Katherine tried unsuccessfully to telephone the police and to escape, but appellant caught her and dragged her to the kitchen. He stabbed her again repeatedly, and she feigned death. Appellant left the kitchen, and Katherine heard Anthony scream, “I don’t want to die. Don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.” Stabbed in the chest, Anthony died within moments. Later, Katherine heard her sister and her nephew outside the apartment.
Afraid appellant would finally kill her if she screamed for help, however, she remained silent. Appellant stayed active throughout the night. He came to the kitchen where Katherine lay and showed her that he had slashed his wrists, stating, “Look, I’m going to die with you.” Later, he telephoned his father. Several hours later, believing that her death was imminent, Katherine dragged her body toward her son, wanting to die by his side.
