A Texas man, Ramiro Gonzales, was executed on Wednesday for the 2001 murder of Bridget Townsend. Convicted and sentenced to death in 2006 for the rape and murder of Townsend when they were both 18 years old, Gonzales, now 41, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time (23:50 GMT) via lethal injection.
Final words of remorse
In his final statement, Gonzales expressed deep remorse for his actions. “To the Townsend family, I’m sorry I can’t articulate, I can’t put into words the pain I have caused y’all, the hurt, what I took away that I cannot give back,” he said.
The crime and confession
In January 2001, Gonzales kidnapped, raped, and shot Townsend, who was the girlfriend of his drug dealer. The case remained unsolved for 18 months until Gonzales, while in custody for a separate rape case, confessed to the crime and directed authorities to Townsend’s remains.
Gonzales’ attorney appealed for a stay of execution to the US Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected on Wednesday. Gonzales’ execution marks the second in Texas this year and the eighth in the United States, excluding a canceled execution in Idaho in February due to a failure to administer the lethal dose by the legal deadline.
The state of the death penalty in the US
In 2023, the United States carried out 24 executions, all by lethal injection. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states. Additionally, six states—Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—observe a moratorium on executions.