Man Convicted In 1991 Houston Murder Removed From Death Row

HOUSTON, TX — It was a heinous crime that ended the life of Alejandra Rendon, a 20-year-old Houston bank teller, and Robert James Campbell, the man convicted of killing her, was sentenced to death for the act and has been on death row for nearly 25 years.

All of that ended on Wednesday, when Campbell was taken off death row after the Texas Attorney General's office and attorneys for the 44-year-old Campbell told a federal judge that they agreed the convicted man was intellectually disabled. Campbell's sentenced was reduced to life in prison as a result.

Kim Ogg, Harris County District Attorney, said in response to the sentence reduction that she would do everything to ensure Campbell was never released from prison.

"Campbell's crimes were extraordinarily heinous and vile," Ogg said. "His acts were among the worst of the worst."

When Campbell was convicted, in 1991, a sentence of life without parole was not available, so he will be re-sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, according to the DA's office.

He was scheduled to be executed in 2014, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped the process at the last minute; Campbell's IQ was determined to be 68, while the minimum standard set by court for an inmate's execution was 70.

Rendon's family released the following statement:

It is with a heavy heart and disappointment that we hear of the recent developments in the case against Robert James Campbell, the man who brutally murdered our loved one, Alejandra Rendon. We truly believe that justice would have been properly served with his execution. Nevertheless, we accept the recent decisions made by the State of Texas and the Supreme Court, and we ask for continued prayers for our family after having received this devastating news. At this point, we can only hope and pray that Robert James Campbell spends the rest of his living years behind bars, and himself seeks forgiveness from our God Almighty.

The Northwestern University School of Law's Rob Owen released the following statement on behalf of Campbell's legal team in response to the sentence reduction:

On behalf of Robert's legal team, I want to say that we are grateful that Robert Campbell’s life will be spared as a result of the Attorney General’s decision to conclude this litigation. Given the overwhelming evidence of Mr. Campbell’s intellectual disability, it was only a matter of time until the courts reached the same conclusion, and further delay would not have served anyone’s interests. We hope that the family and loved ones of Alexandra Rendon can take some comfort in having this matter finally resolved, and we are profoundly sorry for their terrible loss.

— Image: Robert James Campbell (deathrow-usa.com)