'The punishment is just:' Community looks back at shocking 2003 Rubio murders
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More than two decades after three young children were killed in Brownsville, the case still weighs heavily on the community.
Their father, John Allen Rubio, sits on death row and is fighting his execution.
Rubio and his common-law wife, Angela Camacho, were both convicted in the deaths of 3-year-old Julissa, 1-year-old John, and 2-month-old Mary Jane. Camacho is serving life behind bars.
The children were killed inside their home on Tyler Street by their own parents in March 2003. Tres Angeles Park now stands where the apartment building once stood in honor of the memory of the three children.
The case drew attention on both sides of the border. Some residents who lived near the apartment still remember the night police flooded their neighborhood.
"A lot of police cars. A lot of commotion. And didn't know what was going on," Brownsville resident Carlos Garza said.
His wife, Judy, said the killings still stay with her.
"It's so sad. I can't believe what they actually did to a child — to those children," Judy Garza said.
Brownsville resident Blanca Cortez was in the crowd of neighbors outside the apartment building the night the children were killed.
"I believe the punishment is just. Because if there are no punishments, no one, absolutely no one, will pay any attention to the children," Cortez said.
Brownsville resident Hermilo Acevedo said the case spread as far as Matamoros. He is aware that Rubio is facing execution, but said he believes the ultimate judgment belongs to a higher power.
"The one who is judging those people has to be God. We are not here to judge," Acevedo said.
For those who covered the story, the memory has never fully faded. Former Channel 5 News anchor and news director Rick Diaz said he still gets emotional more than two decades later.
"When we first got the first reports from the police department, we couldn't believe it," Diaz said.
Diaz said he has since visited Tres Angeles Park and still thinks about the three children.
"I remember especially the first couple of nights, when you go to bed, you're in bed and your eyes are looking up at the ceiling, and your heart is on the floor. And you're just thinking about those three kids," Diaz said. It just makes you realize that your own kids… you let them know you love them, you hug them, and life is a precious gift."
Channel 5 News is airing a special report on the horrific crime. Echoes from Brownsville: The Rubio Murders will go inside the investigation with those who lived it, and will feature an exclusive interview with John Allen Rubio.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ECHOES FROM BROWNSVILLE: THE RUBIO MURDERS HERE
The Channel 5 News original documentary Echoes from Brownsville: The Rubio Murders will air uninterrupted on Thursday, May 21, at 10:30 p.m.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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