John Allen Rubio, 46, was executed in Texas on Thursday for the 2003 murders of his three young children. He was pronounced dead at 6:47 pm after a lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville.
Rubio was convicted of fatally stabbing and beheading his baby girl and two toddlers in Brownsville. His common-law wife, Angela Camacho, is serving a life sentence for her role in the killings.
Also on Thursday, James Pavatt, 73, was executed in Oklahoma for the 2001 fatal shooting of his girlfriend's estranged husband. Pavatt was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
These executions were the 36th and 37th this year in the US, which is on track to exceed 40 executions for a second consecutive year.