Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

From Death Row, an Inmate Reflects on Fatherhood

Filipa Rodrigues/KUT News
Rodolfo Medrano is sentenced to death for his role in providing weapons that were used in the murders of six men in Hidalgo County in 2003.

Sunday is Father's Day, and as we celebrate the fathers in our lives, we realize that roles are changing.

Little by little, more men are participating in the upbringing of their children. Of course, some fathers are more hands-on than others.

And some fathers can't be hands-on. That's the case for Rodolfo Medrano. Medrano is on Texas' death row, and, he says, he wishes he could be more involved in the upbringing of his son Dominique.

He was sentenced to death for his role in the 2003 murders of six men in Hidalgo County. Though prosecutors agreed that Medrano was not present at the time of the murders, he was convicted under Texas' version of the felony murder rule, called the law of parties, for supplying the killers with the murder weapons. 

Medrano spoke to KUT's Joy Diaz at the prison in Huntsville about being a father behind bars.

Texas Standard reporter Joy Diaz has amassed a lengthy and highly recognized body of work in public media reporting. Prior to joining Texas Standard, Joy was a reporter with Austin NPR station KUT on and off since 2005. There, she covered city news and politics, education, healthcare and immigration.
Related Content