Texas Executes Man: Richard Cobb, 29, Cursed At Warden In Last Moments

On Thursday the state of Texas executed Richard Cobb, 29, who in 2002 was convicting of shooting a man dead in a field after robbing a convenience store and kidnapping two store clerks and the customer who would be his victim. The Washington Post reported that at the execution, after being injected with the lethal drug that would soon kill him, Cobb turned to the warden and cursed at him.

Moments before, when Cobb had been asked if he had any last words, he said, "Life is death, death is life. I hope that someday this absurdity that humanity has come to will come to an end. Life is too short. I hope anyone that has negative energy towards me will resolve that. Life is too short to harbor feelings of hatred and anger. That's it, warden."

But that wasn't it. After being strapped down and injected, Cobb lifted his head from a pillow placed on the gurney, twisted around to face the warden standing behind him, and spat, "Wow! That is great. That is awesome! Thank you, warden! Thank you [expletive] warden!"

His head then fell back on the pillow, with his neck twisted at an odd angle and his mouth and eyes open. About 15 minutes later, a doctor entered and pronounced him dead.

In the East Texas town of Rusk, Richard Cobb and his accomplice Beunka Adams - who was executed for the crime in 2012 -- robbed a convenience store and took store clerks Candace Driver and Nikki Ansley Dement hostage along with customer Kenneth Vandever, according to Reuters. The two robbers drove their hostages out to a pasture and shot all three after Adams raped Dement. Vandever died of his wounds, while both women survived. Cobb was 18 at the time of the murder and on probation for auto theft. He testified at his trial that he began using drugs at age 12 and had turned to robbery to pay off a drug debt.

Dement -- now Nikki Daniels -- was present at the execution. She told reporters, "I thought he was going to be remorseful, I thought he was going to be apologetic, was hoping that he was going to address me." Instead, she said, "I saw the same evil person I saw 11 years ago ... He definitely showed his true colors." Daniels, who testified against Cobb at his trial, said she believed the punishment was "far too easy."

Cobb is the fourth person Texas has executed this year.