A few weeks ago, the Texas Parole Board denied Ramiro Gonzales, a death row inmate, of clemency a few days before he was set to be put to death. Gonzales was convicted of the murder of Bridget Townsend, an 18-year-old lady, back in 2006.
However, he was also 18 at the time of the murder and decided to appeal to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to offer him clemency and a reduced sentence. This was mainly because a key expert witness whose testimony helped to put him behind bars no longer stood by his 2006 words.
In 2001, Gonzales was involved in drug dealings and called Townsend’s boyfriend’s home to talk to him. He was his supplier, but Townsend picked up the phone and told him that her boyfriend was not in but at work.
Seeing an opportunity, Gonzales went to the home to search for drugs and stole money and drugs from the home. However, he didn’t stop there. According to court documents, Gonzales tied Townswnd’s hands and feet and kidnapped her after taking the money and drugs.
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Then, he drove her to a place near his family’s ranch, where he proceeded to rape and shoot her fatally. This happened in January 2001, and Townsend was declared missing for over a year. Later in October 2002, Gonzales was in a county jail in connection to a case of raping another woman when he decided to confess to killing Townsend.
Shortly after, he led police officials to where her body was kept for well over a year. This led to his arrest, and it was not surprising when he was convicted and given a death sentence. The expert witness also previously diagnosed Gonzales with antisocial personality disorder and noted that sex offenders were very likely to continue committing crimes.
This was backed up by “lots of data” evidence, which showed that he would likely be a danger to society if he were ever granted parole. However, that same expert evaluated Gonzales in 2021 and had a change of mind.
He recanted his testimony and diagnosis from the trial in 2006, while Gonzales appealed, saying that he believes his data is now inaccurate. This was shocking to many, as the expert had never changed his opinion on a capital case before this one, but he noted that this was simply an exception and not the rule.
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Majorly because of the change, a jury deliberated lifting the death sentence and changing it to a life imprisonment sentence with no option of parole when Gonzales appealed his case. They cited his reform in prison and his wish to donate a kidney, which showed that he was now a better person.
However, it was a 7-0 decision as the jurors unanimously voted to deny him clemency 23 years after his crime. On what would have been Townsend’s 41st birthday, Ramiro Gonzales was executed by the state of Texas on June 26, 2024. He was pronounced dead by 6:50 pm, and his last statement included an apology and pleas to the Townsend family for forgiveness.
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