MICHAEL ADAM SIGALA (EXECUTED ON MARCH 2, 2010 IN TEXAS)

On this date, March 2, 2010, Michael Adam Sigala was executed by lethal injection in Texas for the murders of a Brazilian couple, Kleber and Lillian Dos Santos on August 22, 2000. I will post information about him from clarkprosecutor.org. 

Michael Adam Sigala

Kleber Pescone dos Santos, 28, and his wife, Lillian D'Ascanio Carla dos Santos, 25 were both shot dead in Texas.

[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/eua.html]

Summary: Sigala unlawfully entered the Plano apartment of Kleber and Lilian Dos Santos and shot Kleber in the head. He then tortured Lilian and then shot her twice in the head after apparently forcing her to remove her clothes and binding her hands and neck with telephone cords. After the murders, Sigala ransacked the apartment and took the Santos’ wedding rings and several other items. Police arrested Sigala two months later after several of the stolen items were recovered from various shops and traced back to him. Sigala confessed to killing Kleber, ejaculating as Lilian lay on the bed, and stealing the couple’s rings. Testing of the semen discovered on the floor next to the bed revealed an “exact” DNA match to Sigala. On the date of the murder, Sigala was on probation for robbery and allowed to leave a Dallas-area substance abuse treatment center for the day to look for a job. 

Citations:
Sigala v. State, 2004 WL 231326 (Tex.Cr.App. 2004). (Direct Appeal)
Sigala v. Quarterman, 338 Fed.Appx. 388 (5th Cir. 2009). (Habeas) 

Final Words:
"I would like to ask for forgiveness of the family. I have no reason for why I did it. I don't understand why I did it. I hope that you can live the rest of your lives without hate." 

Internet Sources:
Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Executed Offenders (Sigala)
Sigala, Michael Adam
Date of Birth: 12/11/1977
DR#: 999397
Date Received: 10/29/2001
Education: 10 years
Occupation: Laborer
Date of Offense: 08/22/2000
County of Offense: Collin
Native County: Tarrant
Race: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 213 

Prior Prison Record:None 

Summary of incident: On 8/22/2000 in Plano, Sigala shot and killed a 27 year old Hispanic male, then sexually assaulted his 25 year old Hispanic female wife before he shot and killed her. Sigala took several items of jewelry from the home of the victims and later pawned the stolen items. 

Texas Attorney General 

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 
Media Advisory: Michael Sigala scheduled for execution 

AUSTIN –Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott offers the following information concerning Michael Adam Sigala, who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. A Texas jury sentenced Sigala to death in 2001 for the murder of Kleber Dos Santos. 

FACTS OF THE CRIME 

On August 22, 2000, Sigala unlawfully entered the Plano apartment of Kleber and Lilian Dos Santos and shot Kleber in the head. He then tortured Lilian and then shot her twice in the head after apparently forcing her to remove her clothes and binding her hands and neck with telephone cords. After the murders, Sigala ransacked the apartment and took the Santos’ wedding rings and several other items. 

Police arrested Sigala two months later after several of the stolen items were recovered from various shops and traced back to him. Sigala confessed to killing Kleber, ejaculating as Lilian lay on the bed, and stealing the couple’s rings. Testing of the semen discovered on the floor next to the bed revealed an “exact” DNA match to Sigala. 

EVIDENCE OF FUTURE DANGEROUSNESS 

During the penalty phase of Sigala’s trial, the State presented evidence of Sigala’s lengthy criminal history, which included juvenile delinquency, three convictions for theft, a misdemeanor conviction for marijuana possession, an arrest for burglary after a home invasion, and a conviction for robbery. Over three to four years, Sigala stole videos from retail stores and sold them for drugs and visits to topless bars. 

Sigala believed that women wanted sadomasochistic sex. He told his mother that he was a sociopath; he found it funny when others were in pain; and he had no remorse for killing Kleber. According to an FBI agent, Sigala was “a member of a unique, particularly vicious subclass of offenders that are dangerous, but also represent a continuing threat to the community.” The FBI agent observed that Sigala had rehearsed the crime, was comfortable at the crime scene, and enjoyed a sense of accomplishment afterwards. 

A psychiatrist testified for the state that Sigala suffered from antisocial personality disorder, which indicated that he would commit violent acts in the future. 

PROCEDURAL HISTORY
08/22/00 - Sigala killed Kleber and Lilian Dos Santos.
10/08/01 - A Collin County jury convicted Sigala of capital murder.
10/15/01 - A Collin County state district court officially sentenced Sigala to death.
09/19/03 - Sigala filed an original application for a state writ of habeas corpus.
01/14/04 - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Sigala’s conviction and sentence.
06/14/04 - The U.S. Supreme Court denied Sigala’s petition for a writ of certiorari.
08/31/05 - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied state habeas relief.
08/25/06 - Sigala filed a petition for a federal writ of habeas corpus.
03/28/08 - A U.S. district court denied habeas relief and issued final judgment.
07/20/09 - Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of habeas relief.
09/15/09 - The trial court scheduled Sigala’s execution for Tuesday, March 2, 2010.
11/05/09 - Sigala filed a petition for certiorari review with the U.S. Supreme Court.
02/22/10 -Sigala’s petition for certiorari review was denied by the Supreme Court. 

Memorial Service for Kleber and Lilian Dos Santos

[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/eua.html]

Texas Execution Information Center by David Carson.
 
Michael Adam Sigala, 32, was executed by lethal injection on 2 March 2010 in Huntsville, Texas for robbing and murdering a couple in their home. 

On 22 August 2000, Sigala, then 22, unlawfully entered the Plano apartment of Kleber and Lilian Dos Santos. He killed Kleber, 27, with a single gunshot to the head. He then forced Lilian, 25, to remove her clothing and wash herself. Next, he bound her hands and neck with telephone cords and made her lay on the bed. He whipped her buttocks with a belt or rod, cut the inside of her thigh, and dripped hot candle wax onto her genitals. While Sigala tortured Lilian, he masturbated. He then shot her in the face and again in the side of her head, killing her. 

After the murders, Sigala lingered at the apartment. He attempted to wipe his fingerprints off of everything he touched, and he cleaned the carpet where he had ejaculated. He also helped himself to a drink and watched television. He went through the apartment, collecting the couple's wedding rings and some other items. Finally, he left. The bodies were found by a neighbor after Kleber failed to report to work. 

Sigala was arrested two months later after several of the stolen items were recovered from various pawn shops and traced back to him. At the time of his arrest, he confessed to killing Kleber, ejaculating while Lilian lay on the bed, and stealing the couple's rings. He blamed Lilian's torture and killing on another perpetrator. 

Testing of the semen on the floor next to the bed showed an exact match to Sigala. A firearms expert testified that all of the bullets recovered from the scene were fired from the same weapon. No evidence was found connecting another perpetrator to the scene.
Sigala later told police that he and his accomplice were at the apartment to sell Kleber Dos Santos some heroin. He said that he shot Kleber in self-defense after Kleber began attacking his accomplice with a baseball bat. Authorities found no evidence that the Dos Santoses used drugs, nor of a second attacker. They were unable to make any connection between Sigala and his victims. They were apparently targeted at random. 

Adam Quanah Lay, 21, was arrested for helping sell the stolen items, but he was not charged in the killings. Lay, who was on probation for a previous aggravated robbery conviction, received 35 years in prison for violating his parole. He remains in custody as of this writing. 

Sigala had no prior prison record, but he had several previous arrests and convictions for theft, robbery, and drug possession. At the time of the murders, he was on probation for robbery. He had been allowed to leave a Dallas-area drug abuse treatment center for the day to look for a job when he killed the Brazilian immigrant couple. 

In October 2001, a jury convicted Sigala of murdering Kleber Dos Santos during a home invasion, and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in January 2004. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied. 

"I would like to ask for forgiveness of the family," Sigala said in his last statement. "I have no reason for why I did it. I don't understand why I did it. I hope that you can live the rest of your lives without hate." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m.