Leo Echegaray

Leo Pilo Echegaray (11 July 1960 – 5 February 1999) was the first Filipino to be executed after the reinstatement of the death penalty in the Philippines in 1993, some 23 years after the last judicial execution was carried out. The Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG lawyer Attorney Te worked to stay his execution due to controversies behind the reinstatement of the death penalty. His death sparked national debate over the legality and morality of capital punishment, which was later suspended on 15 April 2006.

Trial and execution
In 1994, Echegaray, a house painter, was accused of repeatedly raping Rodessa, the 10-year-old daughter of his live-in-partner (Rodessa was nicknamed "Baby" by the press). During Echegaray's trial, Rodessa's mother accused her daughter of lying and claimed that the accusation was motivated by the greed of Rodessa's grandmother. On September 7, 1994, Echegaray was convicted by Branch 104 of the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City of rape and was sentenced to death. The death sentence was automatically reviewed by the Supreme Court and confirmed on June 25, 1996. Echegaray filed a motion to appeal, which was denied on January 19, 1999.

Less than a month later, Echegaray was executed via lethal injection on February 5, 1999. Echegaray was told of the court ruling at noon, three hours before he was to die by lethal injection at Manila's New Bilibid Prison. He is the first man to be executed in the Philippines since 1976.

Echegaray's final statement was:"'Sámbayanáng Pilipino, patawarin ako sa kasalanang ipinaratang ninyo sa akin. Pilipino, pinatáy ng kapwa Pilipino.' ('People of the Philippines, forgive me of the sin which you have accused me. A Filipino, killed by fellow Filipinos.')"Although Echegaray initially maintained his innocence throughout his trial and in public, he privately admitted his guilt during his last moments. Echegaray's last words were "Baby, forgive me." He was pronounced dead eight minutes later.