Austin - Two prisoners, one of them said to be mentally retarded, were put to death by lethal injection late yesterday in Texas.
Brian Keith Roberson was executed for the 1986 murders of two people during a robbery in Dallas. Oliver David Cruz, said to have the mental capacity of a 12-year-old, was executed for the 1988 rape and murder of Air Force linguist Kelly Elizabeth Donovan. As Governor George W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, was campaigning outside the state, the responsibility of handling final appeals fell to his stand-in, Lieut-Governor Rick Perry. But Mr Bush said he agreed with Mr Perry's decision to let the executions go ahead.