A man convicted of killing five of his family members in Oak Cliff in 2002 was executed Thursday.
According to a report by the Dallas Morning News, Abel Ochoa killed his wife, 32-year-old Cecilia; his daughters, 7-year-old Crystal and 9-month-old Anahí; his sister-in-law, 20-year-old Jacqueline Saleh; and his father-in-law, 56-year-old Bartolo Alvizo, on Aug. 4, 2002.
The only surviving family member was Alma Alvizo, Ochoa's sister-in-law.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Ochoa struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine for years before the murders. His drug use cost him his job and created problems within his family.
The Ochoas' marriage had begun to deteriorate, and the two argued frequently, the Dallas Morning News reports. Ochoa's wife hid money from him so that he could not use it to purchase drugs.
On the day of the murders, Ochoa asked his wife to give him money, but she only gave him $10. Ochoa used the money to buy crack, and after smoking it, he wanted more. He knew that his wife would not give him more money, so he shot and killed 5 of his family members with a 9 mm Ruger pistol, severely wounding Alma Alvizo in the process.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Ochoa took his wife's ATM card and attempted to withdraw cash at a nearby shopping mall.
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Alma Alvizo fled the house and begged neighbors for help, prompting them to call the police. Ochoa was arrested less than 20 minutes later.
During Ochoa's murder trial, he wrote the details of the events that occurred on Aug. 4, 2002 on a piece of paper which was later given to police. According to the Dallas Morning News, the judge raised Ochoa's bail amount from $2 million to $5 million after learning that Ochoa shot his 7-year-old daughter in the back.
The trial lasted two days, and the jury found Ochoa guilty on all five counts of murder. He was sentenced to death on April 23, 2003.
Ochoa was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville prison.
