On what would have been Bridget Townsend’s 41st birthday, Texas carried out the execution of Ramiro Gonzales, the man convicted of murdering her in Bandera County in 2001.
Gonzales, 41 years old himself at the time of his death, was administered a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville at 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
His last words were, “I can’t put into words the pain I have caused y’all, the hurt, what I took away that I cannot give back,” according to a transcript USA Today obtained from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Gonzales accepted responsibility for his actions, USA Today reported, telling the Townsends:
“I never stopped praying for all of you. I never stopped praying that you would forgive me and that one day I would have this opportunity to apologize. I owe all of you my life and I hope one day you will forgive me. To all your family, I’m sorry.”
According to the publication, he concluded his final sentiments by saying: “God bless you all. Warden, I’m ready.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the death row inmate had previously sought a delay in his execution to donate a kidney. Though the request to donate his kidney was denied, a stay of execution was granted on the basis of a different appeal unrelated to his donation request. The appeal centered around claims of false testimony presented during the penalty phase of his trial.
“The history of executions in the United States shows that people don’t make offers of organ donations for the purpose of delaying an execution that will still take place,” Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, previously told The Dallas Express.
The case dated back to January 2001 when Gonzales, 18 at the time, abducted and fatally shot the 18-year-old Townsend, the girlfriend of his drug dealer. The young woman’s remains were discovered two years later on Gonzales family ranch in Medina County, where he had taken and allegedly raped her after stealing drugs and money, reported CBS.
Already serving two life sentences for kidnapping and raping another woman, Gonzales admitted to doing the same to Townsend and directed police to where he had left her body, per CBS.
Gonzales’ legal team made a last-ditch effort to halt the execution, appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds of the allegedly false testimony that influenced his death sentence. They argued that Gonzales has transformed during his time on death row, citing his remorse and religious conversion as reasons for clemency.
However, not all were convinced of Gonzales’ transformation. Bridget’s brother, David Townsend, has adamantly opposed efforts to spare Gonzales, as evident in a past online petition asserting that justice demanded the execution proceed.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously rejected commuting Gonzales’ sentence or granting a reprieve, reported CBS. Prosecutors maintained their stance that Gonzales remained a danger to society, pointing to his prior criminal record and the brutal nature of Townsend’s murder.
Gonzales’ execution marks the second in Texas this year. Earlier in February, convicted murderer Ivan Cantu was executed. As of January 1, Texas had 181 individuals awaiting execution on death row, per the Death Penalty Information Center.
Note: This article was updated at 12:55 a.m. on June 27, 2024, to reflect the proceeding of the execution.