Ivan Cantu: Texas death row inmate says his execution will be wrong as he was set up by rival drug dealer

DALLAS, TEXAS: Ivan Cantu is slated to be executed by lethal injection on February 28 for the 2000's murder of his cousin James Mosqueda and Mosqueda's fiancée, Amy Kitchen. Cantu has maintained his innocence for over 20 years.

Cantu, who was 28 years old at the time of the murders, was found guilty in 2001 and given the death penalty. Cantu claims that he was set up for the killings by a rival drug dealer.

Ivan Cantu's execution halted twice

Cantu, a native of Dallas, was 28 years old when he was found guilty and he adamantly maintained his innocence. “Looking at the evidence and you do that, you’ll know that I did not commit this crime,” Cantu stated in a recent interview as reported by NBC 5.

Cantu was found guilty in 2001, and his case has gained national attention as a result of Matt Duff's 2020 podcast 'Cousins by Blood'. Duff claims that while his investigations reveal inconsistencies in Cantu's murder trial, they do not establish his innocence.

Sylvia Cantu, Cantu's mother, spoke with NBC 5 from Livingston, where she is organizing a rally with other supporters to demand a stay of execution.

Ivan Cantu's execution has been halted twice, in 2012 and 2023. Sylvia Cantu, Ivan's mother believes Cantu deserves a fair trial and has discovered new evidence that discredits the testimony of his ex-fiancee, Amy Boettcher.

Police records from 2000 show bloody jeans and socks in Cantu's kitchen trash can. Boettcher's brother testified at the trial, but recanted his testimony in 2022, claiming he was under the influence of drugs.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis remains convinced that Cantu brutally murdered two innocent victims in 2000, with DNA analysis, fingerprint identification, and corroborating witness testimony.

A Collin County jury's verdict is expected on February 28th. 

Kim Kardashian requests to save death row prisoner

A week before his execution, on Wednesday, February 21, Cantu said in an interview that "the clock is ticking," Newsweek reported.

He expressed hope that the courts would delay his execution or that Governor Greg Abbott would grant him a reprieve so he could have more time to argue that he was set up by the real murderers and denied a fair trial. 

Kim Kardashian is pleading with her 75 million social media fans to sign a petition asking for the impending execution of a Texas death row inmate to be postponed.

She wrote on platform X, "Ivan has 5 days to live. Please sign the petition to demand that Collin County DA Greg Willis request to withdraw the execution date."

As of February 23 afternoon, more than 100,000 people had signed a Move On petition asking Willis to revoke the execution date in light of fresh information revealed by his own office. According to Willis, he is "fully convinced that Ivan Cantu brutally murdered" Kitchen and Mosqueda.

"It's my firm belief that justice has been done in this case and that a Collin County jury's verdict should be carried out on February 28th," the district attorney said in a statement, Newsweek stated.