A Texas inmate on death row asked Gov. Greg Abbott for a 30-day delay of his execution so he can donate a kidney in what his lawyers say is an attempt to atone for his crimes.
Ramiro Gonzales sent a letter to Abbott last month seeking a delay for his execution, which is currently scheduled for Wednesday. If approved, Gonzales would donate the kidney to a stranger who has been waiting nearly 10 years for a kidney due to having an unusual blood type, Gonzales’s lawyers Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann told CNN.
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Michael Zoosman, an ordained Jewish clergyman who has been corresponding with Gonzales since 2021, told CNN that Gonzales had never tried to excuse or justify his crimes but instead was hoping to make amends.
“Never in his correspondence with me did he indicate that he felt that this would be a way out or a way to save his life. He never expected it to lead to his clemency,” Zoosman said.
Gonzales, who was sentenced to death in 2006 for capital murder after killing 18-year-old Bridget Townsend in 2001, first got the idea to donate his kidney from Zoosman, who had mentioned in one of his letters that a person in his congregation needed a kidney transplant. Zoosman said Gonzales jumped at the opportunity to be the donor but was not a match for the person due to his rare type-B blood type.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice allowed Gonzales to be evaluated for kidney donation earlier this year and deemed him an “excellent candidate for donation,” according to CNN. However, because the donation would interfere with his execution date, the department denied Gonzales’s request to donate his kidney. Gonzales’s legal team said it has requested the department reconsider its ruling, but, so far, it has continued to deny the request.
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Gonzales’s attorneys also asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to request a commutation of Gonzales’s sentence from the governor or issue a 180-day extension of his execution so he can complete the kidney donation. The board has not issued a ruling on the request, but clemency votes are held two days before the execution, according to board policy.
Other pending items that could grant Gonzales a delay include allowing a spiritual adviser to pray and place a hand on Gonzales’s chest before his execution. This request was denied initially, but a federal judge has since ruled that the execution could only move forward on Wednesday if Gonzales was allowed the spiritual adviser, according to the Washington Post.
