Amarillo man who shot and killed 3 teens in 1999 executed

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The Associated Press has confirmed that An Amarillo man convicted in the 1999 shooting of three teen boys in their sleep has been executed.

John Balentine, 54, who had argued that his trial was marred by racial bias, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

The execution was scheduled for 6 p.m.

Today’s events started with the state’s top criminal court approving the execution that a district judge had delayed.

He was sentenced to death for the deaths of 17-year-old Edward Mark Caylor, 15-year-old Kai Brooke Geyer and 15-year-old Steven Watson at a home in Amarillo.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers have said they think the shootings stemmed from bad blood between Balentine and Caylor, who was the brother of his ex-girlfriend.

Defense attorneys also claim racial issues influenced the jury.

All three victims were shot once in the head while sleeping.

In a 2012 interview, Steven’s mother said Balentine had not offered any type of apology or explanation.

“I’ve tried to talk to him before,” she said. “I’ve tried to go to the prison and talk to him but he refused to talk to me.”

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