On Wednesday, April 23rd, the State of Texas executed Moises Sandoval Mendoza, 43, for the 2004 murder of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson. The execution was carried out by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville, with Mendoza pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m.
Mendoza confessed to abducting Tolleson from her Farmersville home, sexually assaulting, strangling, and stabbing her to death. He later burned and attempted to hide her body in a creek after being questioned by police. At the time of her murder, Tolleson was a new mother to her 6-month-old daughter.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defended the death sentence throughout Mendoza’s appeals, stated, “Tonight, the State of Texas upheld its duty and obligation to enforce justice and ensure that criminals receive the appropriate punishment. Twenty years after Mendoza violently murdered Rachelle Tolleson, robbing her five-month-old daughter of her mother, Texas has executed him. I will always do everything in my power to defend the law and hold criminals accountable.”
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, who prosecuted the case, also released a statement following the execution. “Moises Mendoza was executed tonight for the 2004 abduction and murder of 20-year-old Rachelle Tolleson—a brutal, unforgivable crime that devastated her family and shocked our community,” Willis said. He emphasized Mendoza’s confession and the thorough review of his conviction and sentence by multiple courts over the past two decades. “Tonight, justice was finally carried out. Nothing can undo what Rachelle’s loved ones have endured. But justice is not about erasing the past—it’s about honoring the life that was taken. I hope tonight brings some measure of resolution to her family and friends.”
