Summary
Reinaldo Dennes, 70, was sentenced to death in Texas for the 1996 murder of Houston jeweller Janos Szucs during a robbery of diamonds worth an estimated $3.5 million. A security guard, David Copeland, was wounded.
His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for Thursday 19 November 2026 at the Huntsville Unit, almost 30 years after the crime. He has exhausted his appeals.
The crime
In 1996, Janos Szucs, a Houston jeweller, was shot and killed during a robbery in which diamonds worth an estimated $3.5 million were taken. A security guard, David Copeland, was also shot and wounded.
Police focused their investigation on Reinaldo Dennes and his brother, Jose Alberto Dennes. According to Harris County court records, evidence at trial included ballistics evidence and the missing diamonds and cash.
A Harris County jury convicted Reinaldo Dennes of capital murder, and he was sentenced to death in 1997.
Legal history
- 1996Janos Szucs killed and security guard David Copeland wounded during a diamond robbery in Houston
- 1997Convicted of capital murder by a Harris County jury and sentenced to death
- 18 December 1997Received on Texas death row
- Later yearsAppeals in state and federal courts unsuccessful
- 14 August 2026Harris County judge sets execution for 19 November 2026
Current status
The execution is scheduled for Thursday 19 November 2026 at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas. Texas executions usually begin after 6:00 pm Central time.
Dennes has exhausted his appeals. Any request for clemency would go to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott. Since 1982, the board has recommended commuting a death sentence in only a handful of cases where an execution was imminent.
If carried out, it would be one of the last executions in the United States in 2026.
Sources
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice: scheduled executions
- Centurion Jewelry News / ABC13: execution set 30 years after jeweller's death
- Chopper Rose: Harris County court records in the case
- Death Penalty Information Center: upcoming executions
- Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty: scheduled executions and clemency history (advocacy group)