Texas executed death row inmate Cleve Foster on Tuesday after the Supreme Court rejected a request for stay, making Foster the 30th person to be executed in the US this year and the 9th in Texas.

Foster, 48, was convicted of murder and rape in 2002; however, Foster had previously received three stays of execution from the US Supreme Court over questions regarding how forcefully his lawyers defended him. Foster's latest attorneys argued that he had deficient legal help during the early stages of his trial and appeals, stating his case needed a more thorough examination.

Foster's request for a forth stay of execution was denied in court on Tuesday. Foster was pronounced dead at 6.43pm local time at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

Citing data from the Death Penalty Information Center, Reuters notes today that Texas has executed over four times as many people than any other state since the death penalty was reinstated in the US in 1976.