In Huntsvill, Bobby Ray Hopkins, 36, was executed tonight

In Huntsvill, Bobby Ray Hopkins, 36, was executed tonight. He was pronounced dead at 8:19 p.m. Hopkins was convicted of killing, on July 31, 1993, Sandi Marbut, 18, and her cousin, Jennifer Weston, 19. A detective came to talk with him and during a 4-hour interview Hopkins told how he went to the home, a struggle ensued and he stabbed Marbut. He also said he was cut in the fight. The confession became an issue in Hopkins' appeals because of questions about whether he was properly informed of his rights and whether it should have been allowed into evidence. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, while saying it was troubled by the methods used to obtain the confession, last year characterized the error as harmless because of overwhelming circumstantial evidence against Hopkins. Hopkins becomes the 6th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Texas.