The State of Texas has carried out the execution of 38-year-old John Henry Ramirez. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing 46-year-old Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi in 2004. Castro was a convenience store clerk.
"Prosecutors said Castro was taking the trash out when Ramirez stabbed him 29 times and robbed him of $1.25 while searching for money to buy drugs," said Robert Hurst with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Ramirez's execution had been postponed after he challenged rules set up by the TDCJ that prohibited his pastor from being in the death chamber with him during the execution. He wanted a pastor to touch him and pray out loud during the execution.
The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in Ramirez's favor.
There was a second challenge to the execution from the current District Attorney of Nueces County, where the crime took place. DA Mark Gonzalez told a judge that the death warrant for Ramirez's execution had been requested by his office by mistake. He is opposed to the death penalty. A judge allowed the death warrant to remain in effect.
"In his final statement, Ramirez began by telling Castro's family that he was sorry, and that he hoped that his execution would help them find closure," said Hurst.
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