Execution date for convicted child killer on hold pending ruling from appeals court

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Nov. 16, 2023 execution date that had been scheduled for David Renteria is no longer on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice calendar, and the department confirmed to ABC-7 that was due to an order issued by the trial court in El Paso County.

Renteria was convicted of the 2001 murder of Alexandra Flores, 5, and was sentenced to death in 2003. Flores was seen on Walmart surveillance video leaving the store with a man who was later identified as Renteria. Flores' partially burned body was found the following day, the morning of Nov. 19, 2001, in a parking structure near downtown El Paso.

327th District Court Judge Monique Velarde Reyes issued a ruling at the end of August, according to court records. The coordinator for the 327th told ABC-7 over the phone Thursday that the court cannot comment on the case because it is under an appeals process.

District Attorney Bill Hicks told ABC-7 in an interview Thursday, the court had issued orders to both the D.A.'s office to open its case file to Renteria's defense attorneys, and to remove the execution date from the calendar while the attorneys review the file.

In response, the D.A. has filed a writ of mandamus with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, asking the court to force Judge Velarde to vacate her orders and reinstate the execution date.

Currently, the Court of Criminal Appeals is mulling over the legalities of the orders and the merit of the writs. A decision could be issued in a matter of weeks.

This is a developing story. Stay with ABC-7 for any updates.