I n June 1993, Jose ErnestoMedellin participated in the rape andmurder of two girls in Houston, Texas. He was subsequently arrested by the Texas police, and informed themthat he was aMexican was convicted of murder in September 1994 and sentenced to death in Oc- tober of the same year. Medellin appealed to the Texas Court of Crimi- nal Appeals, which affirmed both the conviction and the sentence.