Ramiro Gonzales is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on July 13 for fatally shooting Bridget Townsend, 18 years old. Townsend was a woman from southwest Texas whose body was discovered about two years after she went missing in 2001.
However, only 10 days before his death, his counsel asked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for a stay of execution so that he might donate a kidney.
Gonzales’ attorneys claim that after being assessed by the transplant experts at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, he was considered to be a “great candidate” for donation.
Ramiro Gonzales who is set to be put to death in less than two weeks asked that his execution be delayed so he can donate a kidney. He's scheduled to receive a lethal injection on July 13 for fatally shooting an 18-year-old woman. https://t.co/2Hj3bBzbMs
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Gonzales was discovered to have an uncommon blood type, which means his donation might help someone who is having problems finding a match.
“All that is left is the procedure to remove Ramiro’s kidney. The operation might be done within a month, according to UTMB “his attorney, Posel and Schonemann emailed Abbott.
Policies of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice enable offenders to donate organs and tissues. Gonzales was judged unsuitable after requesting to be a donor earlier this year, according to agency spokesperson Amanda Hernandez.
She did not explain why, but Gonzales’ attorneys stated in their letter that the agency opposed it because of the upcoming execution date.
Gonzales’ plea to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is scheduled for a vote on July 11th. Gonzales’ counsel has submitted a second plea to the board, requesting that his death sentence be commuted to a lesser penalty.
They also requested that his death be postponed if his spiritual adviser is not permitted to hold his hand while simultaneously placing another hand on his heart during his execution. A two-day federal trial on this request was scheduled to begin in Houston on Tuesday.
Gonzales’ desire to postpone his execution in exchange for organ donation is unusual among death row convicts in the United States. According to Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.
Steven Shelton, a convicted murderer in Delaware, gave a kidney to his mother in 1995, according to abc7news.
Gonzales got the idea from Cantor Michael Zoosman, a famous anti-death penalty supporter and former prison chaplain. Mr. Zoosman had told the congregation of his synagogue about a member in need of a kidney donation.
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