Grasping at Grace on Death Row

Dear Supporters,

So many of you raised your voices to help us halt Ramiro Gonzales’s execution earlier this year.

That’s why I wanted to make sure you saw this beautiful article in the New York Times about Ramiro from December 9, 2022.

As physician Rachael Bedard writes, “We all are worthy of living, and even though the state has been threatening to kill him for 16 years, Mr. Gonzales radiates that truth more visibly than most of us.”

Ramiro’s execution was halted, but his fight isn’t over. Right now, Ramiro’s request for relief from his excessive sentence, filed by his lawyers at the UT Capital Punishment Clinic, is pending before Texas’s Court of Criminal Appeals. Please follow us on social media for more updates on Ramiro’s case.

Thank you for standing up for Ramiro’s humanity. As the year comes to a close, let us all reflect on the meaning of grace and the value of life. And may we find inspiration in Ramiro’s story and in the innate human capacity to grow and change – and give back.

With gratitude,

Burke Butler
Executive Director
Texas Defender Service