State lawyers have told the U.S. Supreme Court that appeals to halt this week's scheduled execution of a Mexican national for the 1994 rape-slaying of a 16-year-old San Antonio girl are without merit.
Humberto Leal faces lethal injection Thursday in Huntsville.
Texas prosecutors told the court Tuesday that the 38-year-old Leal's arguments are designed only to delay the punishment.
The case has raised diplomatic concerns involving the government of Mexico, the State Department and the White House. All agree with attorneys for Leal that he should be spared because of questions whether the outcome of his trial would have been different if he had been allowed to obtain legal help from the Mexican consulate when he was arrested for the murder of Adria Sauceda.
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