Louisiana Death Row Inmate Dies Weeks Before Scheduled Execution

SHREVEPORT, La – A DeSoto Parish killer was set to be executed by the state of Louisiana in just a few weeks, but the death row inmate has died before his scheduled date with death.

81-year-old Christopher Sepulvado spent more than 30 years on death row at the Angola Penitentiary for the murder of his 6-year-old stepson in 1992. Sepulvado died Saturday in the medical unit at Angola. He was considered terminally ill. According to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, his death came as a “result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions."

What Did Sepulvado Do to Land on Death Row?

Sepulvado killed his 6-year-old stepson in 1992 after the boy came home from school with dirty underwear. Sepulvado hit the little boy over the head with a screwdriver and dunked him in scalding water. In 1993, Sepulvado was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Wesley Allen Mercer died a violent death. He was a kindergarten student at Mansfield Elementary at the time of his brutal death.  Sepulvado’s older children testified at his trial about many instances of physical abuse.

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Two weeks ago, DeSoto Parish Judge Amy Burford McCartney set a March 17 execution date for Sepulvado. This came after Governor Jeff Landry announced the state would move forward with executions using nitrogen gas.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said:

Justice should have been delivered a long time ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six-year-old boy. The state failed to deliver it in his lifetime, but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter.

Sepulvado's execution was scheduled for March 17.