Texas man gets execution delay over pastor’s touch request

3 years ago 277

HOUSTON – A Texas decease enactment inmate won a reprieve Wednesday evening from execution for sidesplitting a convenience store idiosyncratic during a 2004 robbery that garnered $1.25 aft claiming the authorities was violating his spiritual state by not letting his pastor laic hands connected him astatine the clip of his lethal injection.

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked John Henry Ramirez’s execution astir 3 hours aft helium could person been executed. He is condemned for fatally stabbing 46-year-old Pablo Castro, who worked astatine a Corpus Christi convenience store.

Ramirez was successful a tiny holding compartment a fewer feet from the Texas decease enclosure astatine the Huntsville Unit situation erstwhile helium was told of the reprieve by Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Jason Clark.

“He was quiescent erstwhile I fto him know,” Clark said. “He shook his caput and said: ‘Thank you precise much. God bless you.’”

In its little order, the tribunal directed its clerk to found a briefing docket truthful Ramirez's lawsuit could beryllium argued successful October oregon November.

Prosecutors accidental Ramirez stabbed Castro 29 times during a bid of robberies successful which the inmate and 2 women sought wealth pursuing a three-day cause binge. Ramirez fled to Mexico but was arrested 3½ years later.

Seth Kretzer, Ramirez’s lawyer, had argued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was violating the decease enactment inmate’s First Amendment rights to signifier his religion by denying his petition to person his pastor interaction him and vocalize prayers erstwhile helium was executed. He called the prohibition connected vocal supplication a spiritual “gag order.”

“It is hostile toward religion, denying spiritual workout astatine the precise infinitesimal it is astir needed: erstwhile idiosyncratic is transitioning from this beingness to the next,” Kretzer said successful tribunal documents.

Lower appeals courts had rejected Ramirez’s argument.

The petition by Ramirez, 37, is the latest clash betwixt decease enactment inmates and situation officials successful Texas and other states implicit the beingness of spiritual advisers successful the decease chamber.

In caller years, the Supreme Court has granted stays halting respective executions successful Texas and Alabama implicit the beingness of clergy oregon spiritual advisers successful the decease chamber. The lone execution stays the Supreme Court has granted successful caller years person been related to issues of spiritual signifier oregon discrimination.

In April, the Texas situation strategy reversed a two-year prohibition connected allowing spiritual advisers successful the decease chamber. The prohibition came aft the U.S. Supreme Court successful 2019 halted the execution of different Texas inmate who had argued his spiritual state was being violated due to the fact that his Buddhist spiritual advisor wasn’t allowed to travel him. That inmate, Patrick Murphy, remains connected decease row.

Texas antecedently allowed state-employed clergy to travel inmates into the chamber, but its situation unit included lone Christian and Muslim clerics. The caller argumentation allows an inmate’s approved spiritual advisor to beryllium successful the enclosure but the 2 cannot person immoderate interaction and vocal prayers during the execution are not allowed.

Texas situation officials accidental nonstop interaction poses a information hazard and the vocal supplication could beryllium disruptive and would spell against maintaining an orderly process. Aside from immoderate situation officials, an inmate’s last connection and a doc who announces the clip of death, nary 1 other usually formally speaks during an execution.

Dana Moore, Ramirez’s spiritual advisor the past 4 years, said the petition to fto him interaction Ramirez was astir letting the inmate signifier his Christian religion and treating him “with a definite magnitude of dignity.”

Moore and Kretzer accidental the laying of hands is simply a symbolic enactment successful which spiritual leaders enactment their hands connected idiosyncratic successful bid to connection comfortableness during supplication oregon confer a spiritual blessing astatine the infinitesimal of someone’s death.

“John’s condemnation wasn’t decease and you can’t person immoderate meaningful contact,” said Moore, who is pastor astatine Second Baptist Church successful Corpus Christi. “He is paying for his crime. I conjecture the question that would travel up, is that not enough?”

But Mark Skurka, the pb authoritative astatine Ramirez’s 2008 trial, said portion helium believes a decease enactment inmate should person a spiritual advisor astatine the clip of execution, determination should beryllium limitations based connected information concerns.

“Pablo Castro didn’t get to person idiosyncratic praying implicit him arsenic this feline stabbed him 29 times. Pablo Castro didn’t get afforded specified niceties and things similar to person a clergyman present,” said Skurka, present retired aft aboriginal serving arsenic Nueces County territory attorney.

Castro, who had 9 children, had worked astatine the convenience store for much than a decennary erstwhile helium was killed.

“He was a bully guy. He would assistance radical retired successful the neighborhood. Everybody liked him,” Skurka said.

Two women who took portion successful the robberies and were convicted connected lesser charges stay successful prison.

Six much executions are scheduled for aboriginal this twelvemonth successful Texas, the nation’s busiest superior punishment state.

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Lozano reported from Houston.

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