Minutes before execution, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott commutes the sentence of Thomas Whitaker

Thomas Whitaker is set to die Thursday night after 6 p.m. for the 2003 murders of his mother and brother in Fort Bend County. His father, who was shot in the attack but survived, has pleaded for mercy. 

Gov. Greg Abbott spared the life of a death row inmate less than an hour before his scheduled execution.

The Texas Tribune