Texas death row inmate asks for execution delay to donate his kidney

By Alma Fabiani

Published Jul 4, 2022 at 11:04 AM

Reading time: 1 minute

A Texas death row inmate has asked for his execution to be delayed so that he can donate a kidney. Ramiro Gonzales, 39, is scheduled to be put to death via lethal injection on 13 July 2022 for the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of a teenager in 2001.

According to the New York Post, Gonzales’ lawyers appealed to Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday 29 June to delay the execution by a month so that their client can be considered a living donor “to someone who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.”

They also asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a six-month reprieve in connection with the requested kidney donation. Attorneys Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann said that a University of Texas transplant team found Gonzales to be an “excellent candidate” for donation due to his rare type-B blood type.

“Virtually, all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiro’s kidney. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month,” Posel and Schonemann wrote to Abbott. They also included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, a Jewish clergyman who is also a prominent anti-death penalty advocate and former prison chaplain.

“There has been no doubt in my mind that Ramiro’s desire to be an altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution. I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God,” Zoosman wrote.

Zoosman claims he reaches out to every death row inmate in the US who has an active death warrant and he has now been communicating with Gonzales since January 2021.

While the state of Texas allows inmates to donate organs, a prior request from Gonzales was rejected earlier this year. A Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman did not give an explanation for the decision, but the killer’s lawyers claimed it was because his execution was imminent.

Posel and Schonemann also asked the parole board to commute his death sentence and allow a spiritual adviser to hold his hand and heart during the execution, if it were to go forward. A federal trial regarding the latter request was set to begin on Tuesday 28 June.

Gonzales was convicted of fatally shooting 18-year-old Bridget Townsend when he was also only 18. Her remains were not found for two years.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which is federally contracted to run the nation’s transplant system, has voiced concerns about organ donations from death row inmates, including the possibility that the organs could be morally compromised.

Keep On Reading

By Alma Fabiani

Cult leader accused of being behind 400 deaths including 191 children

By Louis Shankar

Nex Benedict’s tragic death proves the US and UK have learnt nothing about inclusivity in schools

By Charlie Sawyer

Jacob Elordi accused of grabbing radio employee’s throat over Saltburn bathwater prank

By Charlie Sawyer

Calling all UK-based gen Z: We want to pay your rent 

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

New HBO documentary Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion set to expose Brandy Melville

By Charlie Sawyer

Usher Super Bowl 2024 halftime show: Justin Bieber to make comeback as special guest

By Charlie Sawyer

From payday budgeting to savings account strategy, here’s how to become a finance baddie

By Charlie Sawyer

What are ZYN pouches? Tucker Carlson’s go-to nicotine pillows that are fuelling right-wing Gen Z men

By Charlie Sawyer

Why did Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin divorce? Tracking the actor’s dating history up to Rosalía

By Charlie Sawyer

Understanding the sneaky link: Meaning of the dating trend beyond the hook-up

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

What is legal cocaine? And how is it now being incorporated into our food and drinks?

By Abby Amoakuh

Gen Zers and millennials are ditching big cities for the country. We asked them why

By Abby Amoakuh

Lesbian couple told by GP to sleep with a man if they want to have a baby

By Abby Amoakuh

From the trailer to the cast, here’s everything you need to know about the Love Island all-star series

By Charlie Sawyer

Taylor Swift fans call Travis Kelce walking red flag after Super Bowl LVIII moment

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Millie Bobby Brown credits feminist awakening to psychic in controversial interview

By Charlie Sawyer

Introducing Gag City, the AI universe created by Barbz to celebrate Nick Minaj’s album Pink Friday 2

By Charlie Sawyer

The impact of Javier Milei’s presidential victory in Argentina and its influence on Trump’s candidacy

By Louis Shankar

The London HIV/AIDS Memorial statue proves collective histories triumph over individual tributes

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Husband sues tech company after wife burned and killed by surgical robot