Texas Death Row Inmate Ramiro Gonzales Asks Greg Abbott to Delay His Execution to Donate a Kidney

Texas death row inmate Ramiro Gonzales has filed a petition to delay his execution so he can donate a kidney.

Houston Chronicle reported that the state's appeals court had granted him a stay of execution. However, the decision was not connected to his intended kidney donation.

Gonzales has been scheduled to be put to death on July 13. He wrote a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 29 to ask for his execution to be delayed for a month, so he could donate his kidney to either of two "preliminarily compatible" recipients.

The governor's office has yet to comment on the matter. Gonzales' attorneys noted that there are two possible recipients of the donation. One was a cancer survivor who shares a rare blood type with Gonzales.

The patient was believed to be a resident of Washington. Gonzales has an extremely rare blood type B, with most donor patients waiting for years for a compatible organ.

On Monday, the Criminal Court of Appeals granted a stay of execution for Gonzales. The decision was based on the assertion that a psychiatrist gave false testimony during the trial about "extremely high" recidivism rates for sexual offenders.

The appeals court remanded this aspect of the case back to the trial court. The execution will be halted until that court settles the matter.

Texas Death Row Inmate Kidney Donation

Potential kidney recipient Judith Frith wrote in a note to Greg Abbott that Ramiro Gonzales' attorneys submitted together with their own letter that she "cannot emphasize enough what a precious gift you would be giving someone if you allowed Mr. Gonzales the opportunity to donate his kidney," CNN reported.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Gonzales' petition for a six-month delay to donate his organ to a member of a Jewish congregation in Maryland, according to the Daily Mail.

The Department of Criminal Justice justified its rejection of kidney donation by saying it would create an "uncertain timeline" that could possibly interfere with the court-ordered execution date.

In a statement, Gonzales' lawyers, Raoul Schonemann and Thea Posel, described the Board's decision as "disappointing," adding that nothing in the Board's decision precludes Abbott from granting a 30-day reprieve to allow the process to move forward.

Cantor Michael Zoosman, the founder of L'chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty, said Texas should allow the act of kindness and not deny Ramirez from doing that.

Ramiro Gonzales' Murder Case

Ramiro Gonzales was sentenced to death in 2006 for murdering Bridget Townsend in Medina County in 2001. He was 18 at the time.

Gonzales reportedly kidnapped Townsend from her boyfriend's house, where he was looking to steal drugs. He stole some money, bound her hands and feet, and drove her to a location near his family's ranch.

Gonzalez sexually assaulted Townsend before he shot her and buried her in a ditch. In 2003, he confessed to the crime while sitting in county jail for an unrelated crime.

His confession led investigators to Townsend's decomposing body. Ramiro Gonzales' lawyers said their client has "never made excuses" for the crime he has done.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Ramiro Gonzales on Death Row in Texas - From Death Penalty Action