Texas executed Ramiro Gonzales by lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2001 murder of 18-year-old Bridget Townsend, the state Department of Criminal Justice announced. Gonzales, 41, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. after the US Supreme Court denied his appeals, which argued he should have been ineligible for the death penalty under state law due to no longer being a danger.
Gonzales was convicted and sentenced to death in 2006 for the sexual assault and killing of Townsend. His execution marked the first of two scheduled this week in the United States, with another planned in Oklahoma.
Before his execution, Gonzales delivered a final statement in which he repeatedly apologized to Townsend’s family, expressing deep remorse for his actions. “I can’t put into words the pain I have caused y’all, the hurt what I took away that I cannot give back,” Gonzales said. “I hope this apology is enough. I lived the rest of this life for you guys to the best of my ability for restitution, restoration, taking responsibility. I never stopped praying that you would forgive me and that one day I would have this opportunity to apologize.”
During Gonzales’ trial, jurors were required to determine whether there was a “probability” that he would continue to “commit criminal acts of violence,” a necessary finding for capital punishment eligibility in Texas. Gonzales’ attorneys argued before the Supreme Court that his conduct over the past 18 years demonstrated he was no longer a threat. They highlighted his commitment to his Christian faith, his ministry to fellow inmates, and his attempts to donate a kidney to a stranger in need.
Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court denied his appeals, and Gonzales was executed as scheduled. This case has brought renewed attention to the ongoing debate over the death penalty and the criteria for its application, particularly concerning individuals who may have shown significant rehabilitation.