A Texas inmate who won a religious rights case over pastoral touch during execution is set to die by lethal injection on Wednesday.
John Henry Ramirez, 38, is set to be executed at 6 p.m. CST in Huntsville’s death chamber, according to Reuters. During the execution, a pastor will lay his hands on Ramirez and audibly pray — an act he had to argue in the Supreme Court for the right to have.
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Ramirez was originally set to be executed in September 2021, but he put in a request to have pastoral touch present at his execution. However, earlier that year, Texas implemented rules banning clergy from praying aloud or touching an inmate in the execution chamber. Pastors or religious advisers may stand in a separate room during the execution, where family members and the press typically stand.
Texas had argued Ramirez’s request was an attempt to delay his execution. The state also defended its position by emphasizing its need to maintain security during the execution, per the outlet. People touching inmates during the execution could accidentally disrupt intravenous lines, and audible prayer could prevent officials’ ability to monitor for signs of distress, the state argued.
The Supreme Court ruled in Ramirez’s favor in March, with his new execution date occurring on Wednesday.
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Ramirez was convicted and sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi in 2004. Seeking money to buy drugs, Ramirez stabbed Castro 29 times and departed with $1.25 on July 19, 2004, prosecutors said during the trial.
Although it is unclear who will be performing the pastoral touch during Ramirez’s execution, Pastor Dana Moore has regularly driven about 300 miles to Livingston to pray with the inmate in prison.
