Supreme Court halts execution of inmate over pastor’s role

The Supreme Court halted the execution of a Texas prisoner who requested that his pastor lay hands on him when his execution is carried out.

The Wednesday night order came three hours before the inmate was scheduled to be executed.

John Ramirez was convicted by a Texas jury in 2008 and sentenced to death for the 2004 murder of Pablo Castro, who was a convenience store clerk in Corpus Christi. According to the Texas Tribune, court documents state Ramirez stabbed Castro 29 times during a robbery. Castro was carrying just $1.25 in cash.

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Court documents state Ramirez requested prison officials permit his pastor not only to be present for his execution but to lay hands on him as he died. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice rejected the request but has amended its policy to permit spiritual advisers to be present in an execution chamber while standing at a distance from the inmate and silent. Ramirez challenged that decision in court, arguing that it violated his religious rights.

A lower court rejected Ramirez’s request last week. U.S. District Judge David Hittner ruled Texas’s accommodation was sufficient because the department has “a compelling interest in maintaining an orderly, safe, and effective process when carrying out an irrevocable, and emotionally charged, procedure.”

But the Supreme Court blocked the execution from taking place, directing its clerk to schedule the case to be argued during its fall term. The Texas Tribune noted that the order marks the third time in two years the Supreme Court has halted an execution over challenges to the state’s practices or policies regarding the role of spiritual advisers during executions.

Dana Moore, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi and Ramirez’s pastor, told the Associated Press that the request amounted to letting the inmate die “with a certain amount of dignity” in carrying out a Christian practice of laying hands on someone during prayer.

“John’s sentence wasn’t death, and you can’t have any meaningful contact,” Moore said. “He is paying for his crime. I guess the question that would come up, is that not enough?”

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Aaron Castro, the son of Pablo Castro, told KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi that he feels that the execution of Ramirez should be carried out.

“Honestly, if he wants a priest to bless him before he’s sent off, by all means, go ahead,” Castro said. “That doesn’t affect me one bit. What affects me is why this process continues to get delayed time and time again. He is clearly taking the Department of Justice for a two-a-ride, and they’re paying his fare.”

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