Man who fatally shot 3 Texas teens in 1998 faces execution

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — An inmate convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas Panhandle home more than 25 years ago is facing execution amid allegations that his trial was marred by racial bias. It had been unclear whether John Balentine’s execution, scheduled for Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, would go forward after a judge last week had withdrawn Balentine’s execution date and warrant. A divided Texas Court of Criminals Appeals late Wednesday morning reinstated the execution order. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt his execution. Fifty-four-year-old Balentine was condemned for the January 1998 shooting deaths of two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old at a home in Amarillo.